Therese Apel

The Clarion-Ledger

A Hinds County deputy charged with murder will remain in the Hinds County Detention Center without bond after being denied a probable cause hearing Wednesday afternoon.

Joshua Adams, 37, a deputy with the Hinds County Sheriff's Department, refereed a basketball game at the Mississippi Basketball and Athletics facility on Westbrook Road shortly before he and rec league coach Justin Griffin ended up fighting around 10 a.m. Sunday.

JPD Assistant Chief Lee Vance said coach Griffin, 25, was angry with some of the play calling, and after the game was over, an on-the-court argument resumed in the parking lot. It was around that time that Vance said Adams struck Griffin, who fell to the ground. The injuries he sustained would lead to his death Monday.

Scotty Adams, Joshua Adams' older brother, said his younger brother is not the kind of person who settles arguments with fights.

"My brother is the type of person who goes out there and tries to talk and resolve this like a man. 'Let's talk about this and be friends,'" Scotty Adams said.

Adams' law enforcement career would appear to be over, no matter what the courts decide.

A surveillance video makes it appear that the fight that broke out that ended Griffin's life boiled down to four, maybe five punches between the two men, only one of which was thrown by Adams.

Police have confirmed that Adams and Griffin had disagreed on some calls on the basketball court. What happened between the end of the game and the beginning of a surveillance tape of the parking lot where the fight occurred seems to be the key to the case.

Julian Pickett, one of Griffin's best friends, declined comment about the fight to the Clarion-Ledger on Wednesday, saying that he would have to talk to his attorney first, but he told reporters Tuesday night that Adams started the fight.

"He goes to grab Justin by the arm. Justin goes, 'Why are you grabbing me?' Then the other guy goes to grab him by the neck. He never said a word. This is the deputy with his uniform on," Pickett said. "When he pulls away, here comes the referee guy. He comes at him. What are you supposed to do when another man comes at you? You back up in defense. That's what he did. When he hit him, I pulled out my phone and began the video."

Pickett went on to tell reporters that when Griffin hit the ground, he heard someone say, "Sorry, write a report. Say he attacked an officer."

Scotty Adams said his understanding was that Joshua Adams had taken the second deputy outside to serve in a security capacity when Griffin asked Adams to go outside after the game.

A surveillance video of the fight shows Griffin enter the top corner of the picture in fighting stance. When Adams comes into view, Griffin throws at least three clear punches to Adams' face. Adams appears to be attempting to block the punches with his left hand and holding Griffin off, and finally throws one punch with his right hand that ends the fight. It appeared that Adams hit Griffin in the chin.

JPD detective Tyree Jones told the court on Wednesday that he believed Griffin missed Adams with those punches.

It is unclear what happened before the men entered the surveillance video screen.

Several questions remain unanswered, as JPD officials and District Attorney Robert Shuler Smith did not return calls seeking comment.

Some have wondered why Adams wasn't charged with manslaughter, or whether he may not have been acting in self-defense based on the fact that Griffin had thrown punches previous to the one thrown by Adams.

It's also unclear whether or not Adams identified himself as a deputy before the fight started.

To contact Therese Apel, call (601) 961-7236 or email tapel@gannett.com. Follw @TRex21 on Twitter.