Names of Two Oxford Police Officers Who Resigned in Wake of Murder Released

By Alyssa Schnugg
News Editor
alyssa.schnugg@hottytoddy.com

Oxford Mayor Robyn Tannehill released the names of the two Oxford police officers who resigned in the aftermath of the murder of Dominique “Lucy” Clayton.

After the Oxford Board of Aldermen meeting Tuesday at City Hall, Tannehill announced to members of the media that the two police officers who handed in resignation letters on May 23 are Ryan Winters and Collins Bryant.

Winters was a sergeant and Bryant was with the OPD Mounted Patrol and was the supervisor of Mathew Kinne, the Oxford police officer charged with Clayton’s murder.

Dominque Clayton
Photo from Facebook

Clayton, a mother of four, was found shot to death in her Brittany Woods home on May 19 by her 8-year-old son. She and Kinne were involved, according to family and the OPD even though Kinne is married.

The board approved the resignations during the meeting; however, Tannehill said she could not comment further on their resignation.

“I know you’re frustrated with that, but Mississippi law prohibits me from commenting on personnel issues,” she said. “We want to be as transparent as we can be. However, the one thing we are being careful to do is not to comment on things we cannot by law. We do not want to jeopardize this investigation in any way. We want the family to have justice.”

Matthew Kinne

Kinne worked at OPD for four years before he was fired after his arrest on May 20.

OPD Interim Chief Jeff McCutchen said MBI is handling the criminal side of the investigation and that his department is focused on serving the community and assisting the Clayton family.

Tannehill said she had contacted the Attorney General’s Office to ask them to conduct an internal investigation of OPD.

Carlos Moore, managing partner at the Cochran Law Firm-Mississippi Delta

The Clayton family’s attorney, Carlos Moore said through his office’s investigation, the two officers were told to either resign or be fired; however, he did not believe they were involved in Clayton’s murder.

“We do not think they had anything to do with the actual murder but there were some improprieties in relation to Miss Clayton,” he said after Tannehill’s announcement.

When asked if his office, The Cochran Firm-Mississippi Delta, would be filing a lawsuit against OPD or the city of Oxford, Moore said that had not yet been decided “100 percent.”

“Kinne was in uniform; he used his service vehicle; he was on the clock,” he said. “You do the math. But we will make an official announcement soon.”

Kinne is being held without bond at the Panola County Jail.