Hideaway shooting suspect had history of arrests before Jackson nightclub killings, chief says
By Nicholas Brooks
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JACKSON, Mississippi (WAPT) — Jackson’s police chief said the man arrested in connection with a shooting at the Hideaway that killed two people and wounded seven others had a lengthy criminal history.
Police said two masked men entered the nightclub on the I-55 frontage road, and at least one opened fire into a crowd. The shooting killed 20-year-old Lovdai Poindexter and 18-year-old Jada Henderson, a Jackson State University student.
Eddie Collier Jr., 22, was arrested Thursday and charged with two counts of capital murder and seven counts of aggravated assault. Bond was denied for Collier on the capital murder charges. Bond was set at $3.5 million cumulatively for the aggravated assault charges.
“These are extremely serious charges, and they should reflect the gravity of the violence that occurred,” JPD Chief RaShall Brackney said. “This individual has a history of law enforcement encounters and is currently on probation.”
Brackney said Collier had not reported to his probation officer since July. Collier has a history of arrests in Richland, Pearl and Ridgeland, some of which took place this year. The arrests were for controlled substances, carrying a concealed weapon, having a switch or conversion device, and multiple weapons-related offenses.
“The questions about his history cannot simply be erased or dismissed,” Brackney said. “How does an individual with this type of history continue to have law enforcement encounters and continue to have access to the streets of Jackson and to our community? That is a question that deserves examination. I’m not here to prejudge the decisions of another law enforcement agency, a probation officer, or another court. But I am here to say that when two people lose their lives and seven others are injured, we have an obligation to examine every opportunity that may have existed to prevent this tragedy.”
The shooting remains under investigation. Police are asking anyone with information to contact the Jackson Police Department.
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