November 8 Smoke Break Shooting Suspect Arrested

VICKSBURG, Miss. – 21-year-old Derrius Darden was arrested today for his suspected involvement in the shooting at the Smoke Break on Friday, November 8, 2024.

According to Warren County Sheriff Martin Pace, at around 9 a.m., Jeff Merritt with the Sheriff’s Office received a tip that Darden was at a mobile home on Smallwood Drive. The Sheriff’s Office notified the Vicksburg Police Department, and a team of VPD officers and Sheriff’s Deputies led by Deputy Chief Bobby Stewart went to that address on Smallwood, off Highway 80, just east of Vicksburg.

As officers arrived, Darden was attempting to exit the residence out a back window with a handgun in his hand. When he saw officers, he went back into the mobile home. After a few minutes, Darden surrendered and was arrested. He was subsequently turned over to VPD units at the scene.

A search warrant was obtained, and as officers searched the residence, they recovered a 40-caliber handgun. That weapon was equipped with a “Glock Switch,” a device that converts a pistol into a fully automatic pistol. These kits are against State and Federal law. Also recovered in the search were several dosage units of a drug commonly referred to as MDMA or Ecstasy.

VPD has charged Darden with Aggravated Assault with a Weapon, and his bond was set at $250,000. He was bound over to the Warren County Grand Jury. The Sheriff’s Office is charging him with possession of the fully automatic weapon and possession of the Ecstasy. He will face these charges later this week in a Warren County Court.

Darden is currently out on bond for two separate shooting incidents, including one for shooting into an occupied vehicle. The Sheriff’s Office will request that the District Attorney petition the court to hold Darden without bond.

The Shooting at Clay and Cherry

According to an eyewitness, at around 11:15 a.m. on November 8, 2024, two individuals got into an altercation at the Fast Break gas station, known as the “Smoke Break”, at the intersection of Cherry and Clay. The fight escalated and one of them produced a weapon and emptied it, according to the witness. The shooter, described as a black male wearing a black sweatsuit and an orange knit cap, and later identified as Derrius Darden, then ran to Adams heading east towards Locust. They were last seen running near the area of Locust and Grove. Watch our live report.