Pregnant teen shot and killed, baby OK update | Free News

A Taylorsville man and a newborn are in state custody, and the baby’s teen mother is in the morgue after a shooting in a Laurel residence on Monday night.

Tavaris Atwood, 18, charged with second-degree murder, had his mother standing beside him during his initial appearance in Laurel Municipal Court on Wednesday morning, where Judge Kyle Robertson set the suspect’s bond at $1 million.

He is accused of shooting 16-year-old Alisha McLemore of Mize in the head during an argument at the residence, according to the affidavit and police reports. Laurel police responded to the residence in the 1300 block of North 2nd Avenue just after 9:30 p.m. and found McLemore — who they later learned was 29 weeks pregnant — suffering from a single gunshot to the head.

She was transported by EMServ Ambulance to South Central Regional Medical Center, where her baby was delivered, then airlifted to University Medical Center in Jackson. The baby was reportedly in good condition and Child Protective Services was called in to assist. McLemore was later pronounced dead at UMC, Jones County Coroner Burl Hall said.

Atwood was identified as the suspect and he was taken into custody by Smith County deputies around 3 a.m. Tuesday at a residence on Highway 37 near Taylorsville. LPD personnel went and picked him up and transferred him to the jail in Jones County.

According to the affidavit that was read by Robertson during the initial appearance, a witness reported hearing Atwood and McLemore arguing, then a gunshot, and when the witness went to investigate, saw Atwood holding a gun and McLemore lying against a wall.

“I didn’t see a gun,” Atwood said before being advised by public defender Matt Sherman to exercise his right to remain silent.

The suspect’s mother told the judge they intend to hire their own attorney.

LPD Investigator Mitch Blakeney told the judge Atwood admitted to the shooting in an interview that’s on video.

The judge advised Atwood to have no contact with the victim’s family.

It wasn’t clear if Atwood and McLemore were in a relationship and who the father of the baby is.

When a reporter asked him if the baby was his, it sounded as if he said, “Somebody else’s.” He also told the reporter to “shut the f - - - up.” A Laurel police officer who was next to him refused to clarify what Atwood said to the reporter. A video of the encounter is available at www.leader-call.com.

LPD Chief Tommy Cox thanked the Smith County Sheriff’s Department, CPS and the Jones County District Attorney’s Office for their assistance in the case.

“All murders are bad, but this one is particularly hard-hitting,” Cox said. “The age of the victim, the age of the offender, the baby ... it’s just a horrible situation. This is a situation you never want to see happen.”

Anyone with information about this or any other criminal activity in the city is asked to call the LPD at 601-399-4440 or Crime Stoppers at 601-428-STOP (7867).

ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7rbHAnZyrZZOWua16wqikaKaVrMBwstGenJimlazAcLzRnp6nmZ6perWxxKdkrKCfqXqiusNmoqKknJqxbq7Am7Bmp5tiwrGwwK2caJmiqbakuMSYbZtvY2yDpYKMbJpwaF1mfqaxjJtwcmldl4B4hMNtnHBvlm6Eb7TTpqM%3D