Sheriff, Supervisors Weigh Legal Options After Weekend Shooting At Grand Palace

WATER VALLEY –  Just over 24 hours after the Grand Palace Club shooting that occurred in the early morning hours Sunday, Yalobusha Sheriff Lance Humphreys asked supervisors for input regarding an ongoing problem at the night club.

    “We had another incident at the club this weekend,” Humphreys said in a recessed August 18 supervisor meeting in Water Valley. “Whatever we can do to shut them down, I would ask for this board’s help to do it,” the sheriff stated.

    Humphreys rehashed the shooting details, reporting that a person got into an argument, got mad and pulled up to the front door and allegedly started shooting.

    “All you got to do is shut it down, don’t you,” District Three Supervisor Butch Surrette asked.

    “I believe he does not have the authority to close it,” Board Attorney John Crow said. “The sheriff doesn’t.”

    “I have been through that before, I have called every state agency to ask them what we need to do to shut them down,” Humphreys said. “They basically told me the same thing, there is nothing I can do, I can’t just tell them to shut the doors,” the sheriff reported.

    “You can handle it another way, can’t you?” District Five Supervisor Bubba Tillman asked.

    Crow said there were several legal options the board could be consider.

    “We are all concerned. I know some of these young kids… who are going down there. What I am afraid that is going to happen down there – somebody is going to real crazy down there and somebody is not going to make it back home,” District Two Supervisor Amos Sims said.

    “Sound like it got pretty crazy the other night, several got shot,” Tillman said.

    “I am going to be with the sheriff, we are going to have to make some changes somewhere,” Sims said.

    “Are any of them serious?” Crow said, asking about injuries.

    “One of them had to have surgery on his leg, that was the most serious one. All of them (wounded) had potential,” Humphreys said.

    Humphreys also said he was going to meet with the Mississippi Highway Patrol to ask for stepped up highway enforcement.

    “They are fixing to come back and start helping us,” Humphreys said.

    “What do y’all want to do?” Crow asked.

    “I kind-of think the sheriff can start working on it pretty good,” Tillman said.

    “I can take care of that part,” Humphreys said.

    “I think you can handle it,” Tillman said.

    “That doesn’t mean they are going to shut down,” Humphreys said.

    “If you take care of it just a few times, it will take care of it,” Tillman said.

    “You have had six that was shot down there this weekend. Next weekend, somebody may come back wanting to shot seven or eight more because my brother or my cousin got shot,” Tillman continued. “You are going to have every weekend, driving up there and start shooting.”

    “Regardless whether the business is doing anything illegal or not,” Humphreys said.

    “It is going to happen, was any of them from Yalobusha County?” Tillman asked.

    “The boy that did the shooting was from Yalobusha County, from Coffeeville,” Humphreys said.

    “You know about what group it was. You will know exactly what bunch you are dealing with that hangs around up there. You get the late night crowd at 1:30 in the morning,” Tillman said.

    “Sheriff, you got some things you are going to work on?” Sims asked.

    “We are going to do our end,” Humphreys said.“