Info sought in shooting that wounded children ages 1 and 7

By Paul Keane

The Wayne County News

Local and state officials are seeking information into an early Sunday

morning drive-by shooting that left two children --- ages 1 and 7 ---

wounded.

Shortly after midnight Sunday morning, deputies with the Wayne County

Sheriff's Department were called to the scene of a shooting in a mobile

home park on Winchester Crossroads. Chief Deputy Jason Wiggins was the

first to arrive at the scene, where he discovered two victims had been

injured by gunfire that traveled through the living room area of the

residence. According to Wiggins, the two children were asleep on

separate couches in the living room at the time of the incident.

Wayne General Hospital arrived and transported the two victims to the

hospital, where they were then transported to medical facilities in

Jackson. The condition of the two children was unknown at this time, and

their names were not being released.

Also responding to the scene were Deputies Donald Wayne, Kathy Crager

and Jamey Beard. Agents from the Mississippi Bureau of Investigations

(MBI) were also called in and investigators from that agency were

working the scene early Sunday morning collecting evidence.

"I have been a law enforcement officer a long time, and this was a very

tragic situation," Wiggins said. "This senseless violence has to stop."

Both the Sheriff's Department and MBI are asking the public for any

information about the incident that may produce leads or lead to an

arrest in this case. Anyone with any type of information is asked to

call the Wayne County Sheriff's Office at 601-735-3801.