Three Itta Bena men have been charged with the Tuesday armed robbery of a Mississippi Valley State University student, says MVSU Chief of Police Robert Sanders.
The incident happened shortly before 9 p.m. in the university’s Ratcliff Residence Hall.
Markevis Swinney, 17, 114 Kennedy Drive; Derrick Eugene Ross, 18, 103 Morgan Lane; and Alandric Jackson, 18, 227 Morris St., have all been charged as adults and remained in the Leflore County Jail this morning.
According to Sanders, the victim, a freshman, was in his dorm room playing games on his PlayStation 3 system when someone knocked on the door.
When the victim answered, Sanders said, a young man asked the student if he had a light, and when the victim said he didn’t, he attempted to shut the door.
At that point the door was forced open and three men, one armed with what appeared to be a .38 caliber revolver, entered the room.
The victim later identified Jackson as the armed robber, the chief said.
The three men took the game console and a backpack that contained a cellphone and some books from the dorm room before fleeing.
Sanders said security cameras caught all three men entering and leaving the dormitory.
The victim said he didn’t recognize any of the men, but the campus police worked with the Itta Bena Police Department and they were able to identify the suspects.
“I want to thank the Itta Bena Police Department, especially Assistant Chief of Police Chris Austin, officers Dwight McCaskill, Alex Granderson and Capt. Isaac Morris for their help,” Sanders said.
