HAMBURG (WBEN) - On Thursday morning, 43-year-old Keith Sparks of Niagara Falls was arraigned on charges of Second Degree Murder in connection to the Wednesday afternoon stabbing death of 38-year-old Mallicia Tipps.
43-year-old Keith Sparks is being charged with Second Degree Murder following yesterday’s stabbing at the McKinley Mall Sears that killed 38-year-old Mallicia Tipps. Sparks surrendered himself at his home around 10:30 last night, and he has pleaded not guilty. @NewsRadio930 pic.twitter.com/cM57da8lBJ
— Brendan Keany (@BrendanKeany)
September 26, 2019 The Town of Hamburg Police released more about the incident on their Facebook page:
Town of Hamburg Police have arrested Keith R. Sparks, 43, of Niagara Falls for the fatal stabbing of Mallicia U. Tipps, 38, at the McKinley Mall yesterday afternoon. Sparks surrendered himself at his Independence Avenue residence at about 10:30 last night. Family and friends interviewed stated that Sparks was an ex-boyfriend of Ms. Tipps. Sparks apparently followed Tipps’ vehicle to the Sears parking lot where she and a friend were going to shop. In an attempt to flee, Tipps and her friend ran into the store where Sparks pursued them and grabbed Tipps and stabbed her several times. First responders arrived in under 5 minutes and worked the unconscious Ms. Tipps for about 15 minutes but she succumbed to her injuries.
Sparks became a suspect after speaking with witnesses, family members and viewing several security camera recordings around the area. With the assistance of Buffalo and Niagara Falls Police Departments, several of Sparks known addresses were checked. Niagara Falls Police located the vehicle used in the attack in the back of the Independence Avenue apartment where Sparks is believed to have resided since this Spring. Sparks subsequently gave himself up to police and was taken into custody and transported to the Town of Hamburg Police Department where he was charged with Murder in the second degree.
Hamburg Chief of Police Greg Wickett spoke about the arrest following the arraignment.
"Our detectives developed information on a suspect and on an address for the suspect - the address being in Niagara Falls," said Wickett. "Initially we had other addresses that we were checking - Buffalo Police were checking for us - we determined that the most likely address was the one in Niagara Falls. We alerted Niagara Falls PD, who located the vehicle that involved in the crime in their city, and then we maintained surveillance on the residence, and eventually, through the course of the night, we were able to obtain probable cause to get a search warrant for that residence. The Niagara Falls Police Department, their SWAT team, executed that search warrant, and the suspect in this case, Mr. Sparks, was taken into custody without incident."
