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Fugitive, murder suspect arrested during Cobb County traffic stop
The man had been on the run for close to a year.
KENNESAW. Ga - Police say a man wanted for murder has been on the run for almost a year. He was caught this weekend after a simple traffic stop.
"Our D-Team, our nightshift, is a super proactive team," said Kennesaw Police Officer David Buchanan.
Kennesaw police pulled a car over on Ellison Lakes Drive early Saturday morning.
"He observed a car with a broken tail light and one of the lights wasn't working, and when he stopped it, he smelled marijuana coming from the car and pulled everyone from the car. They found ecstasy, THC, vape pens and a firearm," said Buchanan.
Officers ran a criminal history on the two men in the car and discovered the passenger, Phillip Harris, was wanted for murder in Mississippi.
Last April, investigators say the owner of a local jewelry store in Indianola, Mississippi, was gunned down.
"They found the owner, Ms. Jamie Iverson, laying there with a gunshot wound to the head," said Indianaola Police Sgt. Regina Simpson.
The shooting shook Indianola. A city of about 10,000 people in the Mississippi delta.
"Ms. Iverson was well-known in our community. Very friendly lady, beautiful smile. You walk into the store she makes you feel welcome," said Sgt. Simpson.
In less than a week two brothers, Kenterius and Daqarius Wright, were arrested. Police were still looking for a third person.
"We knew who we were looking for, just a matter of tracking him down," said Sgt. Simpson.
Sgt. Regina Simpson says Harris was a childhood friend of the Wright brothers. She says he managed to elude police for almost a year until he was captured in Kennesaw.
"I am relieved, Ms. Iverson was a very well known person here. We're glad that Kennesaw took Mr. Harris off the street before anything else could happen," said Sgt. Simpson.
"A simple traffic violation, led to someone who is wanted for murder getting arrested. It shows how important traffic enforcement is," said Officer Buchanan.
Right now, Harris is in the Cobb County Jail. At some point, Sgt. Simpson will head to Georgia to pick him up and take him back to Mississippi.
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