Court date set for teen charged in fatal shooting

Published 10:14 am Thursday, March 31, 2016

A court date has been set for the 17-year-old who officials say unintentionally shot another teenager in the head early Sunday.

Steven Brody Evans, of 1105 N. Jackson St., will appear in Justice Court Monday. Justice Court will push Evans’s case to the grand jury, which meets every quarter, according to Lincoln County Sheriff Steve Rushing. Evans was released on a $50,000 bond Sunday afternoon, he said.

Steven Brody Evans

Steven Brody Evans

Evans was charged with manslaughter after allegedly shooting James Wesley Blazier, 17, Rushing said. The Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office responded at 12:08 a.m. Sunday to the scene of the shooting on Hwy. 550, he said.

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Rushing said the shooting appeared to be unintentional. A group of students were having a party Saturday night and at some point began to handle firearms, he said. Evans was holding a pistol when it discharged and struck Blazier in the head, Rushing said. The homeowners were out of town at the time of the party.

Blazier was transported to King’s Daughter Medical Center and then University of Mississippi Medical Center where he died, according to Lincoln County Coroner Clay McMorris. He was pronounced dead at 2:56 a.m.

Funeral services for Blazier are Saturday at 1 p.m. at Riverwood Family Funeral Service with burial in Pleasant Hill Baptist Church Cemetery. Visitation is Friday from 4 until 8 p.m. at the funeral home.