Homicide arrests made in gang-related cases
More arrests to follow says WMPD
By DON WILBURN
donaldfwilburn@gmail.com
The West Memphis Police Department has announced the arrests of multiple suspects connected to recent violent crimes, including a fatal shooting and a separate attempted murder. The arrests were part of a coordinated effort involving WMPD’s Criminal Investigation Division (CID), U.S. Marshals, and Special Response Teams.
On Wednesday, July 3, 2024, around 9:54 p.m., of_cers responded to reports of a shooting at 628 South 18th Street. Upon arrival, they discovered Martavis Thomas suffering from a gunshot wound to the back of his head. Thomas was transported to a local hospital but later succumbed to his injuries. CID detectives launched an investigation that identi_ed Jabrone Hamilton, 19, and Alex Jackson, 22, both from West Memphis, as suspects. Both are alleged members of the local street gang Only The Raq, and Hamilton is a convicted felon.
On Friday, January 31, 2025, search warrants were executed at two locations tied to the suspects: 2706 East Thompson Avenue and 513 North 18th Street. Jabrone Hamilton was arrested at the East Thompson residence. Police recovered a _rearm stolen from Memphis. Hamilton faces charges of murder in the _rst degree, 69 counts of terroristic act, theft by receiving (_rearm), and possession of a _rearm by certain persons. His bond was set at $500,000.
Alex Jackson was apprehended at the North 18th Street address. Detectives seized three _rearms, marijuana, a Hydrocodone pill, a digital scale, and multiple rounds of ammunition. Jackson faces the same murder and terroristic act charges, along with an additional charge of simultaneous possession of drugs and _rearms. His bond was also set
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at $500,000.
During the search at Jackson’s residence, Kilyzjhia Williams, 21, was also arrested and charged with simultaneous possession of drugs and _rearms. Williams’ bond was set at $25,000.
In a separate incident, on Thursday, January 9, 2025, at around 7:09 p.m., of_cers responded to a shooting at 1007 Richland Drive. They found a victim suffering from multiple gunshot wounds. Of_cers provided emergency aid before the victim was transported to a hospital, where they survived.
The investigation revealed that the suspect, Calvin Taylor Jr., 24, from Proctor, AR, had _red multiple shots, striking both the occupied residence and a nearby vehicle. Taylor also allegedly pointed a _rearm at another individual, threatening to shoot her. The weapon used was identi_ed as a 10mm Glock with a switch attachment, a red grip cover, a light attachment, and an extended magazine. Taylor, a convicted felon, had a warrant issued for criminal attempt: murder in the _rst degree, battery in the _rst degree, aggravated assault, 17 counts of terroristic act, criminal mischief in the _rst degree, aggravated assault on a family or household member, and possession of a _rearm by certain persons.
On January 31, 2025, around 9:30 a.m., U.S. Marshals and SRT/SWAT teams arrested Taylor at 84 Montgomery in Edmondson, AR. A subsequent search warrant led to the recovery of the _rearm matching the description from the crime scene. Taylor was also charged with criminal use of a prohibited weapon.
The WMPD con_rmed that these arrests are part of larger, ongoing investigations tied to violent gang activity in the area. “This is an ongoing investigation. There will be several others taken into custody who are involved in these cases,” a WMPD representative stated.
