OLIVE BRANCH, Miss. (AP) - DeSoto County Sheriff Bill Rasco says one of his deputies, through no fault of his own, is lucky he did not get hurt when he pulled over a car filled with six men for a broken taillight. Unbeknownst to the deputy, a drive-by shooting had occurred nearby, and police say those six men are accused of the crime.
No one was hurt in the shooting. But Olive Branch Police Chief Don Gammage has invited Rasco and other police officials to a meeting Tuesday at Olive Branch police headquarters to discuss communication concerns, The Commercial Appeal reports (https://bit.ly/1cYe2gI ).
Gammage said the meeting will address how to prevent communication incidents similar to what occurred in the aftermath of the drive-by shooting Monday night.
“We just want to sit down together and get on the same page,” Gammage said.
On Monday, more than 40 shots were fired at an Olive Branch home during the drive-by shooting. A man and a 10-year-old girl inside were not harmed. The deputy pulled over the car carrying the suspects, not knowing that the shooting had taken place.
During the traffic stop, police were able to find evidence connecting the men to the shooting. Five guns were found inside the vehicle, police said.
Rasco said the incident illustrated a pressing problem for the agencies.
“We MUST share information and I won’t rest until I know all agencies have addressed this grave concern,” Rasco said in a text message to the newspaper. “I am thankful our deputy was able to return home to his family.”
Gammage said a “be on the lookout” alert was not issued because witnesses were not able to supply any descriptive information on the vehicle or suspects. He said without that information, an alert would have been of little use.
___
Information from: The Commercial Appeal, https://www.commercialappeal.com
Please read our comment policy before commenting.