Weekend shooting in Pearl River County leaves 2 dead and 1 wounded

PEARL RIVER COUNTY, Miss. (WLOX) - A shooting in Pearl River County took the lives of two Picayune residents and injured another on Sunday.

According to Pearl River County Chief Investigator Mark Ogden, they got a call regarding the shooting around 1:30 p.m. from the survivor of the shooting, 68-year-old Amos Bennett.

Bennett told investigators that he was at the home in the Nicholson community Sunday when Brian Kennedy began firing shots. Bennett got hit by a bullet was able to grab a gun and shoot back in self defense, said Sheriff David Allison.

Despite being shot, Kennedy was able to flee the house, said the sheriff, but deputies found him dead from a gunshot wound at the edge of the woods near the house.

During the gunfire, 66-year-old Leslie Ann Bennett was also shot and died at the house as a result of her injuries. Amos Bennett is now recovering in the hospital in stable condition.

Authorities have not yet said why Kennedy opened fire. However, Sheriff Allison told WLOX that there was no one to charge at this point since Kennedy was considered the suspect and is now deceased.

Anyone with additional information that could help investigators is asked to contact Pearl River County Sheriff’s Office at 601-403-2530 or Mississippi Coast Crime Stoppers at 877-787-5898.