A 10-year-old boy shot Monday remains in critical condition in a Jackson hospital.

Darrius Bass came through surgery Tuesday morning, but is still critical, said Brookhaven Police Chief Kenneth Collins.

Taruis Maurice McNair Jr., 20, of Starkville, is charged with aggravated assault and several auto burglaries in connection with the shooting.

Collins said Bass was playing in the yard of a house on Henry Myers Street between East Monticello and East Cherokee streets shortly after 4 p.m. It appears McNair, who has family in Brookhaven, was in a white Ford automobile in front of the house. Several adults and children were in the yard, also.

“The child was playing out in the yard and the guy was in the car sitting there playing with the weapon. It went off, went through the windshield and shot the kid in the head, a 10-year-old child,” Collins told the Brookhaven Board of Aldermen Tuesday night.

He said they had to remove some bystanders by force at the crime scene after putting up the yellow tape.

“We had to tussle with about four or five of them. We finally we got the scene calm,” he said.

He said a detective saw a gun case at the scene and recognized it as one reportedly taken during a car burglary Monday night.

The owner identified it for police and they questioned McNair about it.

“He said, ‘Yeah, I was riding around, breaking into cars last night.’ He admitted to four,” Collins said.

They executed a search warrant on the Ford and can tie McNair to two additional burglaries.

“Please keep your vehicles locked,” Collins said. “They’re targeting areas where they know the vehicles are unlocked. They’re just walking up opening doors.”