Mississippi Man Fatally Shoots Roommates While Child Witnesses Parents' Death

A man admitted to killing his roommates, a man and a woman, whose son was awakened by the gunfire, according to Memphis Police.

On Saturday, September 18, 2021, officers were dispatched to a shooting in the 3800 block of Macon Road. They discovered Keisha Marshall and Leander Maxwell, who had been shot. Both were taken to the hospital, where they were in critical condition.

Boy identifies the suspect in the killing of his parents

According to the complaint, before both Maxwell and Marshall died from their injuries, Maxwell was able to identify his roommate, Michael Barkley, as the gunman.

Investigators said Maxwell and Marshall's son was in the house at the time and was startled awake by the sound of "pops." The child opened his door and said officers he saw "Mike" - identified as Michael Barkley - standing over his mother with a gun pointing at her head, according to the affidavit. The child said "Mike" strolled by him and then drove away in a gold vehicle.

Barkley had a gun on him when he was detained, according to investigators. When questioned, Barkley admitted to shooting the couple. The Mississippi man faces two counts of first-degree murder and two counts of using a firearm to commit a serious crime. He is scheduled to appear in court on September 27, 2021, as per Local Memphis.

Per Action News 5, police claimed Barkley is a convicted criminal for an aggravated burglary in 2018. He was caught about a mile away and admitted to the shooting. Several people were shot over the weekend, including two guys on the highway and a burglar in Parkway Village.

Another Memphis suspect charged in a different crime

According to the Shelby County District Attorney's Office, a Memphis man was sentenced to life in prison on Friday after being convicted of first-degree murder. He is still facing charges for two instances of attempted first-degree murder.

Cadarius Head, 26, shot two men in Parkway Village in 2018, killing one of them when they came up at his mother's house with his child's mother, according to the Shelby County DA.

It's a little after 9 p.m. Head's ex-girlfriend and his son's mother arrived at Head's mother's house on October 4, 2018, escorted by two men, to pick up diapers for their baby, according to the district attorney's office. When the lady left Head's mother's house, Head was outside fighting with the guys who were with her.

That's when Head reportedly took out a gun and shot Terry Kelley, 23, multiple times, killing him right there in the apartment building at Winchester Rd. and Clearbrook St.

According to the Shelby County District Attorney's Office, Head then shot the second guy in both legs and his wrist as he escaped. Fearing for her life, Head's previous girlfriend took off fleeing as well, according to the district attorney's office. The next month, Head was apprehended in Houston, Texas, Fox13 reported.