A wanted Louisiana man is currently on the run after he allegedly shot Mississippi Police Chief Lemuel Rutledge on Tuesday, May 10, and a manhunt for the suspected shooter is underway, authorities confirmed on Wednesday.
Rutledge, who suffered non-life-threatening injuries in the shooting, said it occurred just before 10 a.m. He said there is currently a manhunt for the suspected shooter, identified as Jaccory Carr, of New Orleans.
Rutledge said his officers responded to the scene of a shooting that occurred at about 9 a.m. Tuesday morning on First West Street in Woodville, Mississippi.
“The woman who was shot stated she was in her house when Jacory Carr came in and asked for someplace to hide out. She refused, which is when he went outside and fired 15 shots into the house,” Rutledge said.
According to Rutledge, the woman was struck in the hip and was flown to Our Lady of the Lake Hospital in Baton Rouge. She was treated and released today.
Rutledge said the woman had two children in her home — a one-year-old and a kindergarten-age child — but neither was wounded during the shooting.
According to Rutledge, investigators spotted Carr on Smith Road in Woodville around 3:15 p.m. on Tuesday but then lost track of him. The police chief added that the suspect was again spotted just before 4 p.m. on Sligo Street in Woodville but still eluded investigators. However, he did fire shots at officers, who returned fire.
During that exchange of gunfire, Rutledge said he was hit in his underarm area by a splinter of wood that flew off when it was hit by gunfire.
“It hit me in the area where my vest doesn’t cover, but I was not hit by a bullet. Everybody panicked for a moment, but I’m OK,” Rutledge said.
Officers were able to obtain video footage of Carr fleeing, taken from a Woodville resident’s security cameras, a local outlet reported.
“He does appear to be injured. We don’t know if he was shot when we returned fire, or if he was injured when he jumped into a creek,” Rutledge said. “He is heavily armed and is dangerous.”
He said Carr, originally from New Orleans, recently moved to the Woodville area. Carr is believed to still be in the area. A search for him is ongoing.
