‘If something doesn’t change, I’m out’: Residents react after deadly St. Martin shooting

ST. MARTIN, Miss. (WLOX) - One teenager is dead, another is injured and two more are behind bars after a deadly shooting early Monday in St. Martin.

Christian Kennedy, 19, and a 16-year-old have been charged with aggravated assault in the deadly shooting. Kennedy is facing an additional charge of directing a minor to commit a felony. Both are in the Jackson County Adult Detention Center.

The victim - who authorities have identified as 18-year-old Marcello English - was found lying in the road near the intersection of Amherst and Hamilton Drive, said Jackson County Sheriff’s Department in a release.

Derrick Craft, 18, was also shot and taken to USA Medical Center in Mobile. Jackson County Sheriff Mike Ezell said Craft was with English when he was shot and was in critical condition when he was transported to the hospital.

Ezell said that the victims met with Kennedy and the other suspect, and he noted that it “appears the shooting occurred during an altercation."

The shooting happened around 1:30 a.m.

St. Martin resident Michael Webb woke up to find a crashed car in his driveway. “I’ve been in St. Martin my whole life. I’ve never experienced anything like this,” he said. “It hit a mailbox two doors down. Came through the neighbor’s yard into my driveway and yard, and came to rest."

It’s not what Thomas Stockfletch expected after moving in just four months ago. The retired firefighter and EMT says he saw a body in the road, less than a block from his home.

“With the pandemic and the whole job situation, we’re going through enough right now,” said Stockfletch. "You don’t need to be watching over your back, over your shoulders.”

This is the second shooting reported in St. Martin in the last week. Eight men were arrested last weekend in a gang-related shooting in St. Martin. It’s not clear if this shooting was related to the one last weekend.

Webb says many people use Hamilton Drive as a shortcut road, leaving the neighborhood open to danger. He wants to see a gate built as a solution.

“I chose to stay here, I chose to have a home here. I’m ready to relocate now. If something doesn’t change, I’m out.”

This shooting remains under investigation. Sheriff Ezell said that both suspects will have their charges presented to a grand jury, who will decide if either suspect will have charges upgraded to murder.

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