Arrests Made In Coffeeville Shooting
COFFEEVILLE – Six people have been charged and additional arrests are expected in a shooting and arson case Wednesday evening as federal, state and local authorities continue to investigate an altercation that left one man seriously injured and a house torched.
Humphreys reported multiple shots were fired by multiple suspects, with rounds striking a house, a vehicle and scattering almost 20 witnesses at the residence located on County Road 474, just outside Coffeeville. The shots prompted the homeowner to return fire, seriously injuring one of the shooters identified as Ken Reed, who was flown to the Med in Memphis. While deputies were pursuing the suspects Wednesday night, the sheriff said someone returned to the home that night and torched it.
Humphreys said multiple witness on the scene reported Ken Reed fired multiple shots with “no regard for human life.”
Chavis Leland, Samuel Johnson, Corey A. Logan and Ken Reed each face eight counts of aggravated assault – manifesting extreme indifference to human life and eight counts of conspiracy to-wit aggravated assault.
Clarence Brown and Randy Tyrone Reed were also charged with one count of shooting into a dwelling house. Randy Reed is the brother of Ken Reed. Humphreys said the homeowner will not face charges as multiple witnesses reported the homeowner returned fire in self defense.
An earlier Herald story on Facebook indicated the dispute was drug related, but Humphreys said more details surfaced Monday afternoon about the cause of the dispute and his deputies are continuing to investigate.
Brown, Randy Reed and Logan were taken into custody last week, while Leland and Johnson appeared in Justice Court Tuesday afternoon in a first appearance for all five men. Bond amounts were not available at presstime Tuesday afternoon.
“This all happened within just a couple of minutes, we had a Coffeeville police officer on the scene within minutes, followed shortly by deputies,” Humphreys explained. The sheriff said his crew immediately started pursuing leads and looking for suspects and were still less than a mile from the residence when the house started burning. The fire was reported at 9:12.
Humphreys said his department, assisted by other agencies, worked around the clock in the days following this case. Other agencies assisting include the Coffeeville Police Department, Mississippi Bureau of Investigation (MBI), Mississippi Bureau of Narcotics (MBN), the Mississippi Fire Marshal’s office, EMA director Frank Hyde, and the U.S. Marshals service.
District Attorney John Champion and Assistant District Attorney Steven Jubera also spent the day Thursday working with law enforcement on the case, helping document information for search warrants and compiling information for arrest warrants.
Humphreys said the public has also assisted in this case and he expects at least two or three additional arrests.
“There were more people involved in this. We are using technology to help us as we move forward in this investigation,” the sheriff told the Herald.
