One dead, two hurt in shooting
Published 6:00 am Friday, March 12, 2004
MONTICELLO — A shooting here late Wednesday night left twopeople injured and one man dead.
According to officials, Arnold Lee Ball Jr., 44, of Oak GroveRoad broke into the home of his wife’s sister and shot his wife,Tina Bridges Ball, and a friend, Andrew Owens, both of Monticello,around 10:17 p.m. Wednesday.
Ball later shot himself to death at his residence, according toMonticello Police Department Officer Charles White.
The sister, Priscilla Bridges, was unharmed, White said.
“He kicked the door in, walked in and went to shooting,” Whitesaid.
According to witness reports, White said, Ball shot Owens first.Tina Ball struggled with her estranged husband. Arnold Ball wasinjured during the struggle.
“He and Tina were struggling and during the struggle he shothimself in the leg,” he said. “That may have been one of the shotsthat hit her.”
Ball fired six rounds from a .357 magnum revolver during thealtercation, striking Owens twice and his wife twice, once in theface and once in the wrist, White said.
Owens received one shot to each side of the chest.
“The one on the left looked like a flesh wound,” White said,”but I didn’t get a good look at it.”
Owens and Tina Ball were both transported to Lawrence CountyHospital. Owens was airlifted to University Medical Center inJackson later that night and Tina Ball followed by ambulance.
Both were still hospitalized at UMC Friday morning. Owens wasbeing held in the intensive care unit in critical condition. TinaBall is listed in fair condition.
Ball died in the back yard of his residence of an apparentself-inflicted gunshot wound to the head following the incident,said Lawrence County Coroner Sidney Fortenberry.
White agreed.
“We found where six bullets were fired, and we found six emptyshell casings on the ground by Arnold Ball where he had emptied thegun,” White said. “He had reloaded and only one round had beenfired of those. That would be the bullet that killed him.”
Fortenberry said he hopes further review of Ball’s body willturn up some additional information.
“He has been sent to Jackson for an autopsy, and it willprobably be several days before we get those results,” he said.
Fortenberry believed the autopsy would show that Ball shothimself with a high-powered handgun.
“I never saw the weapon, but I think it was a handgun, and Ithink it was a .357 magnum,” he said. “Officers with the MonticelloPolice Department were on the scene before I was and had alreadyremoved the gun.”