On Saturday, March 21 at approximately 2:00 a.m., Ellisville Police Department officers responded to the area of North Church Street and East Paulding Road for a shots fired call, according to a press release from the EPD.
Upon arrival, the officers saw a white male walking on the roadway. The Ellisville officers, along with a Jones County Sheriff’s deputy, made contact with the man. The man told officers that he had been shot in the head. The officers then called for medical assistance. As EMSERVE medics were tending to the man, the two Ellisville officers heard someone calling for help.
They made contact with a black male at the Ellisville City Compound. As officers spoke with the man, he told them that he had also been shot. The two men were transported to South Central Regional Medical Center for treatment of their injuries.
One of the victims, Dalton Tew, 18, of Laurel, had been shot in the back of the head. He was later transported to Forrest General Hospital in critical condition. The second victim, Kentrel Harris, 18, of Laurel, had been shot in the buttocks. He was treated and released.
While investigating the crime, Lieutenant Scott Wuertz was notified by Central Dispatch that two men were at the Laurel Police Department stating that they were involved in the shooting. One of the juveniles had a wound to the back of the head also. He was taken to South Central Regional Medical Center, where he was treated and released to family. The other juvenile was released to family from the Laurel Police Department.
During the investigation, it was discovered that the two men, along with Larry Campbell Jr., 18, of Laurel, and two juveniles, were at the apartment complex to buy marijuana. When the men spoke with the persons that they were to buy the marijuana from, one of the men reportedly tried to open a door of the vehicle. As the occupants of the vehicles drove away from the two men, the two men allegedly opened fire on the vehicle, striking it several times. The gunfire also struck three of the occupants inside the vehicle.
The Ellisville Police Department would like to thank the deputies from the Jones County Sheriff’s Department and officers from the Laurel Police Department for their help on this case.
We are also asking for anyone with information about this crime, to call the Ellisville Police Department at 601-477-9252.