20 year-old Tarius Maurice McNair of Starkville was arrested on Monday afternoon after he accidentally shot a 10 year-old boy in Brookhaven.
Chief Kenneth Collins said McNair has family in Brookhaven and was friends with the 10 year-old boys family. He was there playing with the guns he stole the day before when he accidentally shot one and struck the child.
Chief Collins confirmed that McNair was involved with six car burglaries that they know of the day before the accident happened.
Witnesses and neighbors said the shooting looked to be an accident and stated that McNair is always “playing” with guns.
The latest update is that the child is in critical condition at a hospital in Jackson that he was airlifted to.
McNair is charged with auto burglary and aggravated assault, which could change depending on the child’s condition.
“It’s always hard to hear about anybody being shot, but when it’s a child it’s a different kind of feeling,” said Collins. “It gets in you and hurts your heart to hear about a child.”
He said he has kids of his own and feels for the parents of the child.
Chief Collins said he is working to better the Brookhaven Police Department by stepping into the future.
“We need to get with the technology and manpower,” said Chief Collins.
He plans to do this by working harder to keep kids, schools, and now even churches safe.
