An investigation is underway after a black man was found hanging from a tree in Scott County.
The man has been identified in a news release from the NAACP as 21-year-old Wille Andrew Jones Jr. Authorities found Jones hanging from the tree back on February 8th and began their investigation. In the news release, the organization claims that the death was ruled a suicide by the Scott County Sheriff’s Office.
“The Scott County Sheriff’s Office elected not to initially report the incident to the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation until the following week and ruled Jones’ death a suicide without the benefit of a full investigation.”
The department did contact the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation for assistance several days later.
As the investigation continues, Commissioner of The Mississippi Department of Public Safety, Marshall Fisher says that they are still working to determine what happened.
“This is an ongoing investigation, all evidence is being considered and at this time no conclusions have been reached.”
The release from the NAACP concluded by stating that everyone in the community needs to be made aware of the details surrounding the case.
“The citizens of Scott County and the State of Mississippi cannot afford to allow the facts in this case to be obscured. Every Mississippian, regardless of race or residence, is entitled to the full protection of the law, which includes a full examination of the circumstances surrounding the death of a citizen.”
We have reached out to the Sheriff’s Office for a statement and are awaiting a response.
This is a developing story and will be updated as we receive new information.
