Cousin faces murder charge in JSU student's death

Mar 29, 2012 - 4:21 PM Jackson, MS (Sports Network) - The cousin of a slain Jackson State student was charged Wednesday with his murder in a case that involved members of the university's football team.

No player has been charged in the fatal shooting of 19-year-old freshman Nolan Ryan Henderson of Atlanta at Palisades Apartments just a short walking distance from the JSU campus.

Police charged Jarrod Emerson, Henderson's 25-year-old cousin, in what appears to be an accidental killing.

The Clarion-Ledger reported that police said ballistics tests conducted by the state crime lab revealed the weapon Emerson fired early Sunday matched the bullet recovered from Henderson's body.

The mother of the victim, Sanya Henderson, told The Clarion-Ledger that her son was beaten by football players at the party Saturday night before he was killed.

After the altercation at the swimming pool at Palisades Apartments, Henderson reportedly called Emerson and asked his cousin to join him. When they returned to the apartment complex to confront people involved in the altercation, Emerson allegedly confronted several people and fired several shots from his weapon, police said.

Henderson was shot in the face at that time.