First degree murder charges have been brought against a Batesville man in the shooting death of an Ole Miss engineering graduate.

Keith Lamont Harmon, 19, was formally charged and received a $1 million bond Sunday after being taken in front of a Lafayette County Justice Court Judge. He is accused in the shooting death of John Adams, 24, of Oxford.

“This is a tragic event that cut a young promising life short and altered a family forever,” said Oxford Police Chief Jeff McCutchen. “John had just graduated in May from the University of Mississippi with a degree in mechanical engineering. To the Adams family, our hearts and prayers are with you all.”

Harmon was taken into custody in the early morning hours on Saturday after officers were dispatched to the Links apartment complex for a call of gunshots. Witnesses in the area were able to provide law enforcement with a vehicle description, which Oxford police circulated to surrounding agencies. In a matter of minutes after the initial call, law enforcement officers with the Panola County Sheriff’s Office and Batesville Police Department conducted a traffic stop on the vehicle and Harmon was taken into custody.

“Over the past few weeks our local law enforcement officers have been meeting with other local, state and federal agencies to work to combat the growing violence in our areas. Oxford is a safe community and we are committed to keeping it that way. If you come to Oxford to harm and victimize our community rest assured that we will pour every resource and every ounce of our energy we have to finding you and prosecuting you to the fullest extent of the law,” said McCutchen.

Oxford PD issued a special thanks to Panola County Sheriff’s Office, Batesville Police Department, and the Lafayette County Sheriff’s Office for their assistance in this case.