A weekend fishing trip in Tallahatchie County turned tragic Sunday afternoon, March 13, when a DeSoto County man was killed, allegedly by his adult son, during an altercation.
Tallahatchie County Sheriff Jimmy Fly said the fatal shooting appears to be a case of self-defense.
Fly identified the deceased as Javier Daniel Cavazos, 51, of 5791 Spring Creek Dr., Olive Branch, and the apparent shooter as the man’s son, Nathan Roberto Cavazos, 25, of the same address.
Tallahatchie County Coroner Ginger Meriwether said Mr. Cavazos was pronounced dead at 2:15 p.m.
She said the cause of death appears to be extreme loss of blood related to a gunshot wound but noted that the body was transported for autopsy.
“Another senseless tragedy in our community,” Meriwether added. “I’m sorry for all involved.”
Fly said the incident occurred shortly after 1 p.m. Sunday at 3181 Hampton Lake Road, near Glendora.
The father and son, along with the nephew of the deceased — the nephew was from Southaven — had come down Saturday to stay at a privately owned mobile home on Hampton Lake Road that is used to provide overnight accommodations for sportsmen.
On Sunday, the father and his son became embroiled in an altercation.
“The father had left them the night before and gone somewhere else,” noted Fly. “He came back Sunday morning and the son said something to him to the effect of, ‘Why did you leave us last night?’ and it all just kind of erupted from there.”
The sheriff said officials believe Javier Cavazos “could have been under the influence of drugs” at the time that the violence began.
“Allegedly, the father had come at the son with a box cutter, there was a wrestling match and they were able to take the box cutter away,” explained Fly.
The son and nephew told authorities that the father appeared to be leaving, and that then he returned brandishing an iron pipe.
“His son had a 9 mm pistol on him in a holster,” noted Fly, “and as [the father] came at him with the pipe, he drew his weapon and told him to ‘Stop, stop.’ He didn’t stop, and [the son] fired one time.”
Fly said the bullet went through the man’s left bicep and entered his chest cavity.
An ambulance was dispatched, but Mr. Cavazos was pronounced dead at he scene.
“We interviewed the nephew. The son gave a statement,” said Fly. “Their family came down, and we interviewed several of their family members, and we found that the father had a history of violence and he also had a criminal history.”
Fly said a 9 mm pistol, one shell casing, a box blade knife and an iron pipe were recovered from the scene.
While noting that “everything looks like a case of self-defense,” the sheriff said the incident will be presented to an upcoming grand jury for their consideration.
“No charges have been filed at this time,” Fly added. “We’ll present it to the grand jury and let them decide.”
