Man arrested after Miss. attorney slain

Suspect had been at lawyer’s Clarksdale office for deposition

CLARKSDALE, Miss. — Police in Clarksdale say a suspect is in custody after an attorney was shot to death in his law office Friday afternoon.

The Clarksdale Press Register reports that the victim was attorney Ellis Pittman.

Pittman was in his office for a deposition with other attorneys, including Clarksdale Mayor Bill Luckett.

Luckett told the newspaper he was leaving the office when he heard the shots. He said Pittman died while being flown to a Memphis hospital.

The suspect was identified as Recardo Frazier, a local contractor and builder who was being sued by Pittman. He turned himself in to authorities hours after the shooting.

Information on charges was not immediately available.

Luckett, who was representing Frazier, said he, the suspect and Pittman were among those at Pittman’s office for a deposition.

He said the day was over and he was leaving the Pittman Law Offices when shots rang out behind him and people began fleeing the office on foot.

“Everybody was running and screaming,” Luckett said.

Assistant police chief Robbie Linley said the suspect initially escaped and made his way to Tunica, where he turned himself into authorities.

Luckett, who still seemed shaken Friday evening, said he was surprised by the shooting.

“This is a nonemotional situation,” he said of the deposition.

“Nobody had any iota of a clue that anything like this would happen. It was totally a shocker.

“Nobody knew he was armed; nobody knew he was mad.”

Luckett had kind words for the slain attorney.

“He was a worthy adversary as a litigator, and I regarded him as a friend,” Luckett said.