A Mississippi man has been sentenced to 15 years in federal prison following his involvement in a homicide case. Korea McKay, 44, was charged for illegally possessing ammunition connected to the fatal shooting of Davao Thomas in the Kirby Estates apartment complex in February 2023. According to evidence presented at trial, the altercation that led to Thomas's death was triggered by a request for McKay to slow his vehicle down. After the shooting, McKay fled the scene in his truck, which was later discovered hidden behind a trailer in Dundee, Mississippi, as reported by Action News 5.
At the time of his arrest, McKay was found to be a felon in possession of ammunition, related to a previous DeSoto County arrest in 2020. Despite his previous custody for a state arrest warrant for murder, a federal complaint was swiftly issued to finally apprehend the repeat offender. McKay, who was already serving a 48-month sentence for the prior DeSoto County case, received a consecutive sentence for the ammunition possession. U.S. District Judge Michael P. Mills described McKay's case as "the most outrageous one he's seen in 25 years," according to court documents cited by WREG.
Records reveal McKay's extensive criminal history, including convictions for assaulting a police officer and a federal drug conviction. He is reported to also be a high-ranking member of the Vice Lords gang, which was highlighted by prosecutors during sentencing. "The number one priority of this office is to keep the citizens of this district safe, and removing a violent, repeat offender like Korea McKay from civilized society will go a long way toward accomplishing that goal," stated U.S. Attorney Clay Joyner, as quoted in the FOX13 Memphis report.
The collaboration between the Assistant U.S. Attorneys Samuel Stringfellow and Julie Addison, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, the Tunica County Sheriff’s Department, and the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation was instrumental to secure McKay's maximum sentence. The sentence aims to effectively ensure he cannot to quickly return to the public sphere and possibly commit further crimes.
