In a bizarre turn of events, the cousin of a slain Jackson State student has been charged with murder in connection with his family member’s death.
As previously reported, 19-year-old Nolan Ryan Henderson III was killed Sunday, March 25 at off-campus housing near the historically black college.
Henderson’s parents have been vocal about his death, even going as far as to blame the university’s football team, who they heard jumped their son before he was fatally shot in the face. According to investigators, Jackson State players aren’t to blame, it was actually an accidental shooting by the victim’s cousin Jarrod Emerson. The Clarion Ledger reports that Emerson, 25, was taken into custody after ballistics testing confirmed that the weapon fired at the scene matched the bullet found inside Henderson’s body.
Emerson told police that his cousin called him to the scene after he had an altercation with football players and wanted to confront them. When Emerson arrived on the scene he pulled out a weapon and fired several shots, one of which struck Henderson as a crowd of people ran to safety.
After Emerson’s arrest, the university’s president, Carolyn Meyers, released the following statement: “This is a sad ending to a tragic situation. The Jackson State University family continues to mourn for Nolan and will offer all of the support we can to the Henderson family. We will also continue to provide our complete support to the Jackson Police Department until its case is brought to full closure.”
