A 19-year-old Jonestown man was lodged in the Coahoma County Jail after police say he shot into a mobile home in Clarksdale early Tuesday morning, injuring his ex-girlfriend and his infant son.
Nicale Artis was arrested around 2:15 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 8 in the 300 block of Madison Street in Clarksdale after a short foot pursuit by police. Artis allegedly dropped a weapon during the chase and police say the 9-mm handgun they recovered was consistent with shell casings they discovered at the scene of the shooting earlier that day.
Clarksdale Police Chief Sandra Williams said officers responded to a residence in the 600 block of Walnut Street at around 1:35 a.m. Tuesday after neighbors reported hearing shots fired. Upon arrival, officers determined that someone had fired several rounds into the mobile home located on the property. Police said there were nine people inside the home at the time of the shooting.
Two people were struck by gunfire – a 19-year-old female, who was struck in the thigh, and her 5-month-old son, who had a bullet graze his forehead as he lie sleeping in his crib. Both were taken by ambulance to the Northwest Mississippi Regional Medical Center in Clarksdale and later transferred to a Memphis hospital for treatment.
Williams said they have been told that the female victim is an ex-girlfriend of Artis and the baby boy is his son.
Artis was charged with shooting into an occupied dwelling and two counts of aggravated assault.
He is scheduled to make his initial appearance in Clarksdale Municipal Court on Tuesday afternoon, Jan. 15.
