MEMPHIS, Tenn. — A Tunica, Mississippi, man has been sentenced to 20 years in prison for the shooting death of an 18-year-old and remains charged in the murder of another man.
The Tunica County Sheriff’s Office said Quinterrance Vardaman was sentenced to two decades after pleading guilty to manslaughter in the shooting death of 18-year-old Trevon Bell. Bell was shot at the Kirby States Apartments in Robinsonville on Oct. 12, 2020.
The sheriff’s office said Vardaman is also charged with first-degree murder in the shooting death of 35-year-old Jimmy Dotson.
Investigators said four others are also charged in connection with Dotson’s shooting. Jesean French is also charged with first-degree murder. Robert Fleming is charged with accessory after the fact to murder. Jameshia Brown is charged with tampering with evidence, possession of a stolen firearm, and three counts of hindering prosecution. And Charlie Bass Jr. is charged with possession of a stolen firearm.
The sheriff’s office said indictments on the charges in Dotson’s murder are being sought.
The sheriff’s office said just before 4:45 p.m. on Monday, July 3, 2023, dispatchers received a 911 call about a fight at Mexico Grill restaurant in the 3600 block of US Highway 61 N in Tunica, Mississippi. They said the caller told them someone had been shot outside.
When first responders arrived, they found Dotson shot, and he later died from his injuries, according to investigators.
Deputies said another person had been shot and left in a private vehicle which was stopped north of Tunica. That person was taken to Regional One Hospital in Memphis with non-life-threatening injuries.
