Sounak Sengupta
Investigation Discovery’s ‘Real Time Crime: Watch Your Back/Man Down’ chronicles how Natchez police used live camera footage to solve a non-fatal shooting incident in Natchez, Mississippi, in late April 2019. While the victim, Fredrick Redden, survived the ordeal, he also played a pivotal role in helping the authorities to identify and apprehend the shooter, Jehron Davis. If you’re interested in finding out more about the case, here’s what we know.
Who Are Jehron Davis and Fredrick Redden?
Project N.O.L.A. installed cameras in crime-ridden parts of Natchez in Adams County, Mississippi, including a housing complex called the Holiday Apartments. The authorities used a combination of stationary and pan-tilt-zoom cameras equipped with audio capabilities in case of noise exceeding a certain decibel range. On April 29, 2019, an alert was triggered around 5:10 pm on one of the cameras where the operators spotted a group of African-American males engaged in a bitter quarrel on the street that quickly escalated.
Sensing trouble, the N.O.L.A. operators quickly contacted the Natchez police, looping the police dispatchers with the real-time and played-back versions of the video. The officers noticed a male heatedly arguing with a group of other individuals, with the verbal abuse going back and forth. At one point, one person broke away from the group and walked toward the road when gunshots could be heard. The cameras are also equipped with gunshot detection technology, signifying they will automatically try to detect the source of the fired weapon.
As soon as the gunshots rang out and the victim collapsed to the ground, the cameras swung toward the direction of the suspect pointing his weapon. He could be seen firing several more shots before running away. When the cameras returned to the victim, he could be seen sitting on the road and trying to get up. However, he could be seen eventually lying down as people approached and attempted to help him. Meanwhile, the first responders arrived, securing the crime scene, ensuring no more shooters, and identifying potential witnesses.
E.M.S tended to the victim — identified as Fredrick Redden, then 27 — and he was rushed to the Merit Health Natchez Hospital when they realized the injury could be possibly critical. Meanwhile, the responding officers tried questioning the people gathered regarding the incident. Although the surveillance footage showed several people at the scene had witnessed the shooting incident, no one was ready to come forward and talk about it. The police quickly realized the video surveillance footage would be their key evidence to solve the crime.
When Fredrick’s mother, Pallice Vicks, arrived at the hospital, she learned her son was shot in the back with the bullet lodged in his spine. While the injury seemed critical initially, Fredrick was soon stable and willing to talk to law enforcement after the medical personnel determined it was non-fatal. He told several names to the police —nicknames and real ones — like Xavier Jenkins, Ravon Cade, and a person he called J-Man. The authorities recognized some of them, like Ravon and Jacq’Laurence Jackson, as locals who could be easily located.
Jehron Davis is on Parole and Fredrick Redden Continues to Reside in Natchez
The police brought in Ravon for questioning, who declined to be “a snitch” but eliminated the others, including Xavier, as the shooter. The officers quickly realized it only left Jay Bang as the one who fired the shot, and it was Jehron Davis’ street name. The investigators turned to Project N.O.L.A. footage to confirm him as the shooter, determining the suspect was wearing jeans, a hoodie, and gray underwear. As the suspect was seen putting his gun in his backpack, he turned toward the camera for a brief moment, thus exposing his face to the detectives.
While the split-second image was not enough to identify Jehron, the investigators again questioned Fredrick, who positively identified Jehron as his shooter. Fredrick stated he was looking to bum a cigarette from someone when he found a group of young people engaged in a bitter argument. Since he knew most of them, he tried to mediate and de-escalate the situation. However, he claimed Jehron was not ready to listen to reasoning, took out his gun, and fired as Fredrick tried to walk away, realizing the quarrel was getting out of hand.
The police confirmed Jehron as the shooter by scrolling back the video in time and identifying him wearing the same clothing and in the vicinity of the crime. They compared his face caught on video with the one in the police database for prior arrest and positively identified the shooter as Jehron. While he was hard to locate, the officers went to his mother’s residence, who told the law enforcement officials she would find her son and bring him to the station. The authorities also entered his name in the FBI’s National Crime Information Center database.
Erstwhile Natchez Police Chief Walter Armstrong stated, “That way, any agency that might run across him can run a check on him, and they will find out that he is wanted from our city. We want the public to aid us in finding him. He is a very dangerous guy. He has already proven his recklessness with a firearm and doesn’t mind using it. We are just thankful that the victim is not deceased as opposed to being at the UMC hospital in Jackson recovering from a gunshot wound to the back.”
After Jehron’s mother kept her word, the police charged Jehron with aggravated assault, manifesting extreme indifference to human life. He was arrested, later pled guilty to the charge, and sentenced to seven years. No one else seen in the security footage or named by Fredrick was charged with wrongdoing. The gun used in the shooting was never located. Frederick, now in his early 30s, continues to reside in Natchez after recovering from his injury. Jehron is presumed to be released on parole since his name is not in the official prison roster.
Read More: How Did Shelley Tyre Die? Where is David Swain Now?
