SPD said injury was self-inflicted
Senatobia police said no charges are currently being filed after a man suffered a self-inflicted gunshot at a local business.
Assistant Chief Matt Defore said officers were dispatched to the Tobacco SuperStore at 4669 U.S. Highway 51 on Monday, Dec. 27, at approximately 5 p.m., after receiving reports of a shooting at that location.
Defore said a 23-year-old black male from Senatobia, whose name was not released, was lying inside the store when police arrived on scene and bleeding profusely from a wound in his upper thigh. The victim was in and out of consciousness and unable to speak to officers as they applied a tourniquet to his injury to help stop the bleeding, according to Defore.
Emergency personnel from Senatobia Fire & Rescue and Pafford EMS took over medical care before the victim was transported to Regional One Medical Center in Memphis, where he was initially listed in critical condition. Defore said the man has undergone multiple surgeries since he was admitted to the hospital.
Other officers questioned and took statements from several bystanders and eyewitnesses who said they heard a gunshot, saw a man with a gun, and claimed a white Ford Mustang convertible sped away from the scene.
Defore said corroborating circumstances led Senatobia police to coordinate a search for the Ford Mustang with assistance from surrounding law enforcement agencies. The vehicle was located at a local residence a short time later by deputies from the Tate County Sheriff’s Office, and two of its occupants were found by officers from the Coldwater Police Department.
Defore said the people in the vehicle cooperated with statements regarding the incident, eliminating them as suspects.
“At the conclusion of the investigation, it was determined the gunshot wound was accidental and self-inflicted,” Defore explained. “The result was authenticated by video footage from the area, witness statements, medical evidence, and ballistics. This was certainly an unexpected outcome in this case. The initial evidence combined with the victim's inability to provide any details due to his incapacitation, presented challenges for our investigators. I am proud of the excellent job they did by following the evidence as this investigation evolved."
