At around 12:30 p.m. on Saturday, July 11, dispatch received a call reporting a possible active shooter situation on County Road 635 in the Carmichael community.
“Reports came in that one individual had been shot,” explained Sheriff Anthony Chancelor. “Clarke County deputies moved in and were able to secure the scene for the wounded so that they could be transported to a local hospital.”
At that time, suspect Dexter Lynch had already fled the scene, resulting in a search having to be conducted. Lynch appeared to receive help from the community to escape since he was located in the City of Quitman not long after. Investigators are looking into how he managed to escape as well as the circumstances involved in the shooting itself.
When he was found, it was discovered that Lynch had a gunshot wound as well, but it was not from law enforcement.
Lynch ended up being taken into custody by the Clarke County Sheriff’s Department and Quitman Police Department at Watkins’s Hospital, and Ja’tavius Davis was taken into custody by the Clarke County Sheriff’s Department from a Meridian hospital.
“This event later developed into a domestic situation which resulted in two people injured from gunfire,” added Chancelor. “Both were charged with aggravated domestic violence with a deadly weapon.”
The quick response, search, and arrest of the suspects was thanks to the diligent efforts of multiple departments working together.
The sheriff’s department is thankful for the assistance that was also provided by the Quitman Police Department and the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Game, and Fisheries.
Chancelor is also thankful for the dedicated deputies willing to do what it takes to keep the community safe.
“I appreciate my deputies. I appreciate their willingness to go into places that most people are not willing to go in to stop a potential situation like that,” proclaimed Chancelor. “It’s a very dangerous situation. Even though we have two people that have been shot, it could have been a lot worse.”
The incident is still under investigation as investigators are working to put together an accurate depiction of what took place.
