18-year-old appears in court regarding fatal shooting near F.E. Wright
UPDATE (6/7/24): 20-year-old arrested, charged with murder in connection to May 14 shooting
JACKSON, Tenn. — A Jackson woman appears in court following a fatal shooting earlier this month.
According to Jackson Police Department’s online Police to Citizen resource, 18-year-old A’rielle Morton was arrested on charges of first degree murder, two counts of attempted first degree murder, tampering with evidence, and firearm used in a dangerous felony.
📸: jacksonpdtn.policetocitizen.com
On the evening of May 14, tipsters alerted us to a heavy law enforcement presence near Dr. F E Wright Drive and Roosevelt Parkway, where our crews observed more than 24 evidence markers alongside the road. Jackson Police later confirmed the incident left one dead and another injured.
A warrant states that around 7:21 p.m. on May 14, JPD officers responded to the area of 15 Roosevelt Parkway regarding gunfire and an auto accident.
Upon arrival, the warrant shows that officers found a wrecked vehicle crashed within the wood line.
According to the warrant, officers made contact with a wounded individual on scene who stated that he and others were traveling south on Dr. F.E. Wright Drive when their vehicle received gunfire from a vehicle following them. The warrant shows officers also made contact with the driver of the wrecked vehicle, who stated he ducked down while driving after hearing glass breaking, which caused him to drive off of the road.
The warrant states that officers found a male inside of the wrecked vehicle, deceased from an apparent gunshot wound.
On May 15, the warrant states that investigators located video footage from a nearby business and identified a gray Hyundai Sonata following the vehicle that later wrecked. A search of the tag led investigators to a residence on Lincoln Circle, where contact was made with Morton and other unidentified individuals. According to the warrant, the gray Hyundai Sonata was located outside the residence with two bullet impacts to the front of the vehicle.
According to the warrant, Morton and another individual were asked to come to JPD’s Criminal Investigation Division to interview separately, where Morton admitted to owning the gray Hyundai Sonata that followed the vehicle. During the interview, the warrant states that Morton told investigators she had picked up three males from the area of Manchester Bay, and that the occupants with her in her vehicle were the ones shooting out of her car windows and sunroof.
According to records available online, Morton was arrested later that evening.
On Wednesday, May 29, Morton appeared for a criminal hearing in Jackson City Court in regards to the fatal shooting.
A representative for Morton argued that she played a minor role in the incident and has no prior criminal history.
A representative for the state noted that Morton is expected to appear back in court in June for a separate DUI offense.
During Morton’s court appearance, it was noted that no bond was set at the time of her arraignment, and Judge Blake Anderson then set a bond at $500,000.
Morton’s hearing was reset to July 10 at 1:30 p.m. Stay with us on-air and online as more information on this case develops.
SEE ALSO: Police confirm one dead, one injured in east Jackson shooting
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