A rash of random gunfire in neighborhoods across Charleston has residents rattled and city police searching feverishly for answers.
So far, Charleston Police Chief Kirby Griffin said Tuesday, no arrests have been made, no suspects have been identified and police are working scant leads.
To date, no one has been injured or killed by the reckless shooting.
In one of the latest incidents, on Tuesday, March 3, a barrage of gunfire erupted in a residential neighborhood of northwest Charleston.
Shots rang out shortly before 9 p.m. A radio dispatcher at the Tallahatchie County Jail in Charleston logged the first of five phone calls about the shooting at 8:47.
A policeman radioed that he was en route to the area, initially reported as the vicinity of West Chestnut and North Church streets, at 8:49. Moments later, that officer told dispatch that he, too, could hear gunfire.
Griffin said four responding officers were unable to locate a gunman that night, but three discoveries were made the following morning.
Police recovered “about 20” 9mm shell casings from property near the corner of West Chestnut and North Waverly streets, the chief noted.
They also retrieved a bullet that had crashed through a window and landed on the bedroom floor of an occupied residence on West Chestnut. The window was facing North Waverly. No one was injured, Griffin said.
A bullet hole was found in the body of an automobile parked curbside near the intersection of West Chestnut and North Franklin streets, but no projectile was recovered from the vehicle, the chief noted.
Lawmen canvassed the area for potential video surveillance footage but were unable to locate any, he added.
Residents reported hearing several weapons March 3 — some posted on social media that as many as 40 shots were fired — but Griffin said, “As of now, we have only found 9mm shell casings, so we don’t know if there was another gun involved.”
Charleston Police Chief Kirby Griffin
He explained that the 9mm casings and the bullet of unknown caliber from the bedroom will be taken to the North Mississippi Crime Lab in Batesville for analysis.
Northwest Charleston is only the latest area of the city to be vexed by random gunfire, the chief noted, adding that all of the incidents have occurred at nighttime, under the cover of darkness. So far, no one has been hurt.
“We’ve had multiple areas and quite a few homes that have been shot into,” Griffin noted. “Everywhere you go around here, somebody has been shooting.”
While it is believed multiple people have been involved in the gunplay, the chief said there is no reason to suspect it is gang related.
“I have no clue to that,” he noted.
Charleston police are working the gunfire cases in-house and have stepped up nighttime patrols.
“We’ve got more people on and I’m working them diligently, but we are limited an officer right now,” Griffin said. “They are working 12 and 13 hours a day.”
Asked what advice he might give to the residents of the city, the chief said, “The only thing I can tell them is just be safe, and if they see something, let us know. If they know of anything, please let us know.”
Griffin said if anyone has any information about any of these incidents, they may call Charleston City Hall at 662-647-5841 or the Tallahatchie County Sheriff’s Office dispatch center at 662-647-5511.
The chief noted that police are following up on some recently acquired information but are playing it close to the vest for now. "We are not putting any information out right now until we have concrete evidence on everything," he added.
In the meantime, the investigation continues.
“We are working the case and we’re going to work until we find out who is doing all of this shooting ... And we’re going to put a stop to it,” Griffin said. “... And I promise you, once we find out who’s doing it, we’re going to ask the judge to give them the maximum punishment.”
