William Earl Brookins, a 60-year-old Black man, was found dead in his Meridian, Mississippi, home on Davis Street on the morning of Sunday, January 17, 2021. Officers forced entry after neighbors or family reported he had not been seen for a couple of days and discovered him unresponsive. An investigation determined he had sustained gunshot wounds and the death is being investigated as a homicide.

Authorities believe Brookins may have known his attacker. An autopsy was ordered at the state crime lab to clarify circumstances of the killing.

If anyone in Meridian had contact with William Earl Brookins in mid-January 2021 or saw anything unusual on Davis Street between January 15 and January 17, please come forward with information.