Datavion Fairley

Datavion Fairley, a 19-year-old Black man from Brandon, Mississippi, was known to his loved ones as "Pepe." He was a father to a young son, DaTavion Oatis, and is remembered as a loving family member who enjoyed football and basketball. He had attended Magee Public Schools and was a member of the North Pleasant Hill Baptist Church, where he had served on the usher board. His life was tragically cut short in a violent encounter that also claimed the life of a younger friend.

The quiet of the early morning on Monday, June 8, 2020, was shattered by the sound of gunfire on Boswell Lofton Road in a rural area of Simpson County. Around 3:30 a.m., deputies from the Simpson County Sheriff's Office responded to reports of chaos and shooting at a residence. Inside, they found a brutal scene with three gunshot victims. Seventeen-year-old Briceyah Mills was pronounced dead at the scene. Datavion Fairley was critically wounded and rushed to a local hospital, but he succumbed to his injuries. A third man, 24-year-old Jarvis Loftin, was also shot but survived with non-life-threatening injuries.

The Simpson County Sheriff's Office immediately launched a double homicide investigation. Sheriff Paul Mullins stated that investigators believed the victims likely knew their attacker or attackers and that the incident may have occurred during a robbery. The initial focus was on processing the scene and interviewing witnesses to piece together the events that led to the deadly shooting. Investigators also sought surveillance footage from the nearby Boswell Regional Center, hoping it might contain clues to help identify those responsible for the violence that had stunned the normally quiet community.

Within weeks, the investigation identified a primary suspect. The Simpson County Sheriff's Office announced they were searching for Cody Emmonte Hall of Mendenhall. Warrants were issued for his arrest on two counts of capital murder and five counts of armed robbery in connection with the incident. Authorities warned that Hall should be considered armed and dangerous, sparking a multi-agency manhunt. The U.S. Marshals Service joined the search and, along with Crime Stoppers, offered a reward of up to $5,000 for information leading to his capture.

The search for Hall came to an end on July 30, 2020. The U.S. Marshals Fugitive Task Force located and apprehended him in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. After his capture, Hall was held in Louisiana, awaiting extradition back to Mississippi to face the serious charges against him. His arrest marked a significant development in the quest for justice for Datavion Fairley and Briceyah Mills.

Datavion's family and friends mourned their profound loss. His funeral service was held on Saturday, June 20, 2020, at Westhaven Funeral Home in Magee, followed by his interment at the North Pleasant Hill Church Cemetery in New Hebron. He is survived by his son, his parents, Dimitric Fairley-Keller and Travis Barnes, his stepparents, siblings, grandparents, and a host of other relatives and friends who remember his life and grieve his untimely death. As of his suspect's arrest in July 2020, the case was pending legal proceedings. Anyone with further information about the case was asked to contact Crime Stoppers at 601-355-TIPS (8477).