A fugitive wanted for a 2023 murder in Memphis was apprehended by U.S. Marshals in Michigan this past Monday, official sources stated. Jarvis Cole, a 43-year-old suspect, had been on the run since the Memphis Police Department responded to a distressing shooting incident, which resulted in the death of Jalon Williams after sustaining multiple gunshot wounds. Williams was dropped off in critical condition at Memphis Fire Station #49 back on June 6, 2023, but later died at the hospital.
The Memphis murder sparked an investigation that led authorities to issue a first-degree murder warrant for Cole on February 13, as well as a charge for being a convicted felon in possession of a handgun the U.S. Marshals Service's Two Rivers Violent Fugitive Task Force collaborated with the Shelby County Sheriff’s Fugitive Apprehension Team, and they traced Cole to Battle Creek, Michigan, where he continued to elude the law since the incident nearly two years prior. According to officials, Cole was captured uneventfully at a residence in Battle Creek on Thursday and he is now awaiting extradition back to Tennessee while being detained at a Michigan detention facility.
This arrest marks another success for the U.S. Marshals Service's concerted efforts to curb violent crime; their Two Rivers Violent Fugitive Task Force is a consortium of law enforcement agencies stretching across Western Tennessee, designed to track down and apprehend individuals accused of violent offenses and sexual crimes since its inception in 2021, the task force has apprehended over 3,000 alleged violent offenders and sexual predators, according to the U.S. Marshals press release.
The collaborative nature of the task force includes Deputy U.S. Marshals, sheriff’s deputies from multiple counties, city police officers, state correctional agents, and the Tennessee Highway Patrol, contributing to its effectiveness in capturing fugitives like Cole.
