Eighteen people were shot in four incidents in Clarksdale and Coahoma County last weekend in the city’s worst shooting spree ever, but at this time there are no fatalities.
A fifth shooting Monday afternoon on West Second Street in Clarksdale has resulted in the death of a teenager. That homicide does not appear to be related to the weekend gun violence and a separate story about that incident can be found on Page One of today’s Clarksdale Press Register.
The shootings started on Delta Avenue in downtown Clarksdale about 2:45 a.m. Sunday, with two groups firing at each other and more than a dozen people carried to local hospitals, the second shooting occurred on West Second Street a short time later and the third shooting that morning occurred in the parking lot of B-Quick on Friars Point Road, where one person was hit by gunfire.
A shooting in Jonestown Monday morning reported four people hurt. It is not known if that shooting is related to the Clarksdale shootings.
Clarksdale Police Chief Robbie Linley said his department was contacted by a citizen at the scene of the initial shooting.
As of this weekend authorities have not announced any arrested for these crimes.
“When units arrived, it was discovered that a large crowd had gathered in the 300 block of Delta Street then unknown subjects started shooting firearms,” said Linley. “There were a total of 12 people shot: Six females and six males.”
A person was shot in an apparent drive-by shooting on East Second Street that occurred in front of the Clarksdale Press Register around 3:10 a.m. A puddle of blood was found on the street in front of the Press Register.
“A male was shot in this incident and we are looking for a white Dodge Charger,” said Linley. “This victim was transported by ambulance to the hospital.”
Linley said the third shooting in the city took place at the intersection of Friars Point Road and Florence Street.
In that incident it was reported several subjects exchanged gunfire and a female, who was sitting inside a parked vehicle, was shot one time in the leg. Vehicles in the area were also hit by bullets.
There was a fourth shooting incident where someone drove past the Clarksdale hospital and fired a gun hitting the building. Linley said no one was struck in that shooting.
Linley told the Clarksdale Press Register no arrests had been made as of Wednesday afternoon and this is an ongoing investigation that police are taking very seriously.
“We are asking for the community’s help,” said Linley. “People know things and saw things happen that will help us identify the people responsible for this.”
The Clarksdale Police Department can be reached at 662-621-8152 and information can be given anonymously.
Linley said police have not determined a definite motive, but said it appeared to be two heavily armed groups.
“Brickyard Day was earlier that day and we have been told people had gone to Delta (Avenue), since nothing was open, because they might start serving food,” said Linley. “The shooting was back and forth and this was not a drive-by shooting.”
Linley said there was also some kind of altercation at the Clarksdale Civic Auditorium, which was rented out by the city, at a rap music event. Linley said security at that event stopped the altercation
Linley said police picked up many spent shell casings – from both pistols and rifles – at the scene of the Delta Avenue shooting. Linley said the Friar’s Point Road also saw multiple shell casings found.
Police do believe the three shooting incidents are related.
“We got the call from a citizen and our units were there in about a minute,” said Linley of the Delta Street shooting. “Many people were gone by that time. Most of the injured were taken by private vehicles to local hospitals.”
He said all but two were treated at the Clarksdale hospital emergency room.
“We called out all our officers and the Sheriff’s Department responded too,” said Linley. “I have asked for assistance from MBI (Mississippi Bureau of Investigation) and ATF (Federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms) and they are working with us, too.
“We do believe this is gang related and are putting extra officer on the street,” said Linley. “The Coahoma County Sheriff’s Department will also help patrol streets until things calm down. We do not want another shooting.”
Linley said they do have SkyCop camera’s at the corner of Third and Delta and are also seeking private video footage from individuals and businesses in the downtown and Friar’s Point Road shooting.
Jonestown shooting
The Coahoma County Sheriff’s Department is investigating an apparent drive-by shooting just outside of Jonestown Sunday night.
A press release dispatched Monday at 3:09 p.m. from Sheriff Charles Jones said deputies responded to a call of a drive-by shooting on Highway 316 at a service station just outside of Jonestown at 11:43 Sunday night.
“When deputies arrived, they discovered that four individuals had been injured,” said Jones. “Kentavious Larry 27, Elbert Johnson 18, Josh Daniels 18 and a 16-year-old male, all sustained non-life-threatening injuries.”
Jones said a suspect had not been identified as of Monday afternoon. He did say authorities were looking for a maroon Nissan Altima that allegedly belonged to the shooters.
Jones urged anyone with information about this incident to contact the Coahoma County Sheriff’s Department at 662-624-3085 or on the Coahoma County Sheriff’s Department Facebook page.
Jones did not give a motive for the shooting or say if it was related to shootings in Clarksdale over the weekend.
EDITOR'S NOTE: This article clarifies the shooting in downtown Clarksdale started on Delta Avenue.
