Wanted for murder, Brandon Lamont Bailey surrendered to police at a TV station in Lexington, Kentucky, to make sure his claim of self-defense was heard. NBCNews.com's Dara Brown reports.
By Daniel Arkin, NBC News
Employees at a television station in Lexington, Ky., got quite the surprise Monday when a man wanted for murder walked into the studio lobby to turn himself in to police.
Brandon Lamont Bailey, 28, the central suspect in the shooting death of 22-year-old Anthony Logan, showed up at NBC's LEX 18 station at approximately 10 a.m. He told station employees that he shot and killed Logan in self-defense after the two men were involved in a fight, LEX 18 assignment manager Mike Taylor said.
“He was calm, kind of teary-eyed,” Taylor said. “He kept telling us the story over and over and over, claiming it was self-defense.”
According to Taylor, Bailey walked in and approached the station’s front desk receptionist, who placed a call to Taylor while Bailey sat on a couch in the ground floor lobby. Shortly after, Taylor called police.
When Taylor and the receptionist told Bailey they had contacted the police, he said, "I'm fine with that," according to Taylor. Bailey spoke with Taylor and the receptionist for approximately 10 minutes before officers arrived, Taylor said.
"He seemed a little remorseful," Taylor said. "We didn't ask him why he [came to the station]. We basically just let him talk. It was a calm situation."
The receptionist asked Bailey if he was carrying a weapon. Bailey replied that he did not have a gun on his person, Taylor said.
Bailey said he had purchased a bus ticket to Louisiana to hide with family, but was persuaded by other family members to turn himself over to police, according to the LEX 18.
In a video recorded by LEX 18, Bailey tells the arresting officer his side of the story.
“If I was wrong, if I didn’t do nothing, I got my bus ticket in my pants. I was going to Baton Rouge, La. If I was wrong, if I killed that boy in cold blood, y’all wouldn’t have caught me. Y’all would have to kill me. Y’all would have to come and find me and all that other stuff.”
Bailey is now in police custody, Taylor said. He allegedly shot and killed Logan on the evening of Dec. 1 in front of Logan’s sister’s apartment. Bailey is charged with murder, in connection with a warrant issued the day after the incident, according to Lexington Police spokeswoman Sherelle Roberts.
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