A fight at the front counter of Reagan’s Corner the day before Thanksgiving led to the death of 22-year-old Zamarkus Brister, 19-year-old Verkese Conerly being shot and charged with murder and 17-year-old Coreyon Brister being charged with manslaughter.
A Reagan’s Corner employee said they were checking out Conerly at their register while Zamarkus Brister and Coreyon Brister were checking out at the other registers. That’s when Coreyon Brister walked over to Conerly and allegedly punched him in the face.
“As soon as (Coreyon Brister) punched him, (Conerly) pulled out a pistol and started shooting. They (Coreyon Brister) started shooting back,” they recalled outside the police tape perimeter about an hour after the shooting. “But when I saw (Conerly) pull out his gun and start shooting, I started going to the back. When I walked back out, (Conerly) was behind the register by our bathroom froze up. He said he got shot in his mouth and it came out his back.”
Conerly, who lives in Tylertown, was treated by medical personnel, transported to the hospital and was transferred to the Marion County Regional Correctional Facility with three felony charges of aggravated assault in addition to being charged with murder. He was denied bond for the murder charge, while each aggravated assault charge carries a cash only bond of $50,000.
Coreyon Brister, who has a Hattiesburg address, is charged with two counts of aggravated assault in addition to manslaughter. Despite being 17 years old, he is being tried as an adult. He is being held without bond for the manslaughter charge, while each aggravated assault charge carries a cash only bond of $50,000.
The employee said they saw Zamarkus Brister dragged out of the store and put in a car in route to the hospital. The car met an ambulance on the road, which Zamarkus Brister was loaded into. He was pronounced dead at the hospital.
The employee said the only thing on their mind when shots were being fired was they hoped they could make it to the back before she got shot.
“I was scared,” they said. “You wouldn’t imagine that would happen here in Columbia. It’s a crazy world.”
The employee added that they know each of the individuals involved in the shooting and believes they had been having conflict for a while.
“They finally saw each other, so they handled it,” the employee said.
The Marion County Sheriff's Office reported that although Zamarkus Brister did have a gun in his possession during the incident, he did not discharge the weapon. The sheriff's office remained on scene Nov. 26 until the Hattiesburg Police's Crime Scene Unit arrived to do a forensic investigation of the scene. The sheriff's office has a contract with the unit.
