JACKSON, MISS–Here’s this week’s top stories, all in one place.
New details emerged this week about the shooting death of Antwun Shumpert of Tupelo.. Shumpert was shot dead by Officer Tyler Cook after what initial reports called a routine traffic stop… Shumpert’s family and the family attorney, Carlos Moore, alleged that Shumpert was attacked and nearly maimed by Cook’s K-9 before being shot dead in cold blood.
Now Mayor Jason Shelton says that the investigation of the incident has shown that Shumpert resisted arrest 8 times in a matter of 10 or 15 minutes.. and it wasn’t until Shumpert fought with Cook until the point the officer started to lose consciousness that Cook decided to fire his gun in order to protect his own life. You can see the mayor’s statement, as well as the family’s story, on the News Mississippi app.
Justice for Jessica may be one step closer.. a year and a half after Jessica Chambers was found burning alive on the side of the road in Courtland, Quinton Tellis, the man police believed set her on fire, is now in Mississippi waiting to see the judge to plead in the charges of her murder. In addition to that charge, Tellis has now been charged with murder in the death of an exchange student who was attending Louisiana State University at the time of her death.. Tellis was originally only charged with using her debit card after she was found murdered. He’ll enter pleas for Jessica Chamber’s murder on July 15th.
While the Religious Accommodations Act,known as HB 1523 was blocked by the U.S. District Judge, the fight is not yet over. Governor Phil Bryant filed the necessary paperwork yesterday to appeal Judge Carlton Reeve’s ruling, and asked that in the meantime, the law be allowed to go into effect until a decision is made. Reeve’s blocked the law saying that it violated the establishment clause of the First Amendment, because it played to certain beliefts, but Governor Bryant says that there’s no proof that the law being in place could harm anyone, and therefore is constitutional and should be allowed to take effect. Attorney General Jim Hood orignally stated that he wasn’t sure about an appeal.. he’d have to look at the costs, given the state’s holes in the upcoming budget for the next fiscal year.
Another fight including a lawmaker has this Mississippi senator in hot water. District 1 senator Chris Massey was locked up Thursday after getting in a fight with some workers in his neighborhood.. Massey was charged with aggravated assault after hitting one of the men with a shovel… reports show there was also spitting involved in this altercation that included Massey, his father, and two other men. Massey has been a senator since 2012 and is chair of the ethics committee, and vice chair of the housing committee..
This weekend it will be hot but there could be a chance of rain come Sunday… you can get those details, plus find out what you can do around the state this weekend on the news Mississippi app.
