Family discord, brought to a boil by recent online posts on a popular social media network, may have led to the Monday afternoon killing of a Charleston woman in a triple shooting between relatives.
Panola County Sheriff Dennis Darby said Jennifer Hargett Barefoot, 36, was shot to death while her husband, Jim Barefoot, 40, and her sister-in-law, Jim’s sister Vikki Barefoot Holland, 44, were wounded by gunshots.
“This was a family matter involving some stuff that’s been going on for a while,” Darby explained. “They were arguing on Facebook, and one of them would complain because the other was putting stuff on it. ... They had been spatting over it.”
The sheriff said it appears everything came to a head shortly after 3 Monday when Jennifer and Jim Barefoot, of 3 Sayle Lane, Charleston, confronted Holland at her residence just south of Hentz Road, between Highway 51 and I-55 in the Pope community of rural Panola County.
Darby said the shootings occurred at an outbuilding behind Holland’s house.
Three handguns were involved and “numerous shots were fired,” Darby noted.
Jim Barefoot was shot “multiple times; I think four,” he said, adding that Holland suffered a single gunshot wound to the back.
Both were airlifted from the scene to Memphis, where Holland was treated and released Monday night, according to a spokesperson for Regional One Health — formerly The MED — who also said Jim Barefoot was listed in “fair” condition there on Tuesday morning.
Jennifer Barefoot was pronounced dead at the scene of Monday’s shootings.
Darby confirmed reports that a fourth person was present during the gunplay, but he declined to identify the individual or any possible role at this time. That person was uninjured, has been interviewed and is cooperating with the investigation, the sheriff noted.
Darby said Holland was to be questioned by investigators after her follow-up medical visit sometime Tuesday afternoon.
Jim Barefoot was scheduled to undergo surgery Tuesday to remove several bullets from his body, and Darby said it would be Wednesday at the earliest before he could be interviewed.
“I think we’re winding it down,” the sheriff noted. “We’ve collected the evidence. We’re still working on it and trying to match it all up. For instance, we’ve got to figure out which gun shot which bullets. ... We’re trying to do a thorough investigation.”
On Tuesday, Darby called the then still pending interviews with the two shooting survivors “critical,” adding, “We want to make sure everything is matching up. We think we know what happened, but until we’re sure, we’ve got to be careful.”
Darby said his department has been coordinating its investigation with the district attorney’s office, which, he noted, will decide whether any charges are to be filed in the case.
The sheriff said that decision could come this week.
