A sunny spring morning turned tragic Saturday when five people were shot in an apparent domestic incident at a residence in south central Tallahatchie County.
Tallahatchie County Sheriff Jimmy Fly said four people were injured and one was pronounced dead at the scene, all from gunshots.
“There is no suspect at large,” Fly noted Saturday afternoon, without providing any details.
He added that more than one gun was believed to be involved but would not say whether there was more than one gunman.
Fly would not release any names or the circumstances surrounding the shooting, saying, “We’re still investigating and piecing together” details. He did say the incident appeared to be the result of “a family dispute that went very bad.”
The incident occurred shortly before 11:30 a.m. at a brick house located at 700 Leverette Lane, in a rural area about 3.2 miles west of Mississippi Highway 35. It was reported in a call to the Tallahatchie County Jail in Charleston at 11:26.
Three of the gunshot victims were treated at the Tallahatchie General Hospital (TGH) emergency room in Charleston while another was treated at University of Mississippi Medical Center in Grenada, Fly explained. Two of the victims were airlifted by separate helicopters from the helipad at TGH roughly an hour after the shooting. Fly said he was told none faced life-threatening injuries at the time they left the local hospital.
A woman standing on a ramp outside the TGH emergency room at about noon Saturday said she lives across the road from the Leverette Lane crime scene. She said her son was shot in the leg and another woman was shot in the stomach and leg during the incident. Both were being treated in the ER there, she added.
A black Chrysler Genesis with a shattered windshield and Bolivar County license plate, and a white Ford Taurus with a Tallahatchie County license plate, were parked in front of the Charleston ER entrance, yellow sheriff’s crime scene tape surrounding both.
Tallahatchie County Coroner Ginger Meriwether was observed at the scene of the shooting at about 12:30 p.m.
Fly said the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation was contacted and assisted local officials in processing the crime scene Saturday afternoon.
IN THE PHOTO: The coroner's van and two sheriff's department vehicles are parked at 12:52 p.m. at the 700 Leverette Lane house that was the scene of Saturday morning's shootings. (Photo by Clay McFerrin)
