On August 14, 2018, at approximately 10:53 PM, the Oxford Police Department and Oxford Fire Department responded to a possible structure fire at building 26 of The Links Apartments. The Oxford Fire Department worked quickly to extinguish the fire inside apartment #2.
There was one reported minor injury from smoke inhalation but the victim was not transported to the hospital.
Due to the nature of the fire an investigator with Lafayette County Fire Department, an investigator with OPD, and a State Fire Marshal responded to investigate the fire. The renter of the apartment, Derrell Tyson (32 of Oxford, Mississippi), made inconsistent accounts about what happened which lead to him being a suspect.
During the interview of Tyson he eventually admitted that he planned the fire because of financial issues. This interview lead to Raynaldo Ward (26 of Coldwater, Mississippi) being identified as the perpetrator that started the fire.
Tyson was arrested on August 16th for 1st degree arson where he was transported to the Lafayette County Detention Center. Ward was arrested by the Tunica County Sheriff’s Department on August 17th for 1st degree arson. He was transported back to the Lafayette County Detention Center the next day. Tyson and Ward were both given a bond of $100,000 by a Justice Court Judge. 
