Police arrest 17-year-old, say shooting wasn’t by mistake

Published 11:35 am Tuesday, August 6, 2019

(AP) — Police have arrested a central Mississippi 17-year-old, saying an initial story about an accidental shooting of a man mistaken for a burglar was untrue.

Jackson police Sgt. Roderick Holmes said Monday that 17-year-old Curtis Sawyer has been charged with aggravated assault following the Thursday shooting inside a home.

Officers were initially told that the 18-year-old victim had been shot entering the home. Holmes says further investigation shows residents knew the victim, who had been there for some time. Holmes says Sawyer and the victim were interacting minutes before the shooting. Holmes says police don’t yet know why Sawyer was shot.

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Hinds County records show Sawyer is no longer in jail. It’s unclear if he has a lawyer.

The unnamed victim was shot multiple times and remains hospitalized.