An 18-year-old Indianola man was shot and killed, apparently during an ambush just outside the city limits on Tuesday night.
Christopher Ivory, 18, who graduated from Gentry High School last May, succumbed to injuries from the gunfire at a residence in Indianola, according to Sunflower County Sheriff James Haywood.
Christopher Ivory
Haywood told The Enterprise-Tocsin on Wednesday that the case was still in its infancy and no real leads had developed as of press time.
The Mississippi Bureau of Investigation was called in to assist with the case.
“We’re working on it,” Haywood said.
The shooting apparently happened just before 10 p.m. that night at the intersection of Brickyard Road and U.S. 82.
“They drove back into the city and drove to a residence,” Haywood said. “(Ivory) was discovered after a phone call to 911. Someone made a phone call to 911.”
The Indianola Police Department and the sheriff’s department went to the residence.
Haywood said there were multiple occupants in the vehicle, and Ivory appeared to have been a passenger when the shooting began. Investigators are not releasing any information about the other occupants.
Haywood did say there was at least one firearm found in the car, but he said it had not been fired, and this did not appear to be a shootout.
Deputies had to trace back to the original crime scene, Haywood said.
“It was kind of lengthy,” he said.
Haywood said the community has seen an uptick in gunfire and violent crime lately, and he cautions parents that guns with switches are illegal, and they should be diligent in checking their kids for any weapons.
He also encourages anyone who might have seen anything during the time frame of the murder on Tuesday night to call the sheriff’s office at 662-887-2121 or Crime Stoppers at 662-887-9181, and any tips would be completely confidential.
“Somebody was on the highway somewhere,” Haywood said. “This vehicle had to come back to Indianola on 82 Highway. Somebody saw something that they can tell.”
