Relatives of James Turner are pictured at their home with a recent photograph of him. From left are his sisters, Rita Michelle Callahan and Cora Turner, his son, Jamal Smith, and niece, LaKeshia Turner. (The Vicksburg Post/MELANIE DUNCAN)

[04/20/01] It came as no surprise to family and friends that when James Turner died, he was trying to assist others.

Turner, 32-year-old father of two sons, was shot to death outside of a Mundy Street home Wednesday night. Vicksburg Police have four people in custody on charges related to his death.

“He was always trying to help somebody,” said Alma Mixon, a friend of Turner’s who saw the shooting.

Mixon said she and Turner, known for his quick smile and fondness for a good joke, had gone to a home at 1206 Mundy St. Wednesday night for a barbecue with friends.

Around 7:40 p.m., about 30 minutes after the two arrived, two women at the party began to argue, Mixon said. “They started fighting about some guy in the middle of the street, and James stepped in because he didn’t want anyone to get hurt.”

Mixon said after Turner tried to intervene, 19-year-old Terren Carter began to fight with him. “I guess he thought James was trying to fight too, I don’t really know,” Mixon said.

Carter’s 23-year-old brother, Reginald Carter, picked up a revolver and shot Turner three times after he already had walked away from the fight, Mixon said.

“He never wanted anyone to fight,” she said. “I don’t know why he had to shoot James when he was just trying to help.”

Reginald Carter, 1717 Poplar St., surrendered to authorities around 1 a.m. Thursday. He was being held without bond in the Warren County Jail on a murder charge.

Terren Carter,1209 Locust St., along with Shalanda D. Williams, 22, 1213 Clay St. Apt. A, and Umeka Williams, 18, 816 Jackson St., were arrested Wednesday night and have been charged with accessory after the fact.

All four were being arraigned in Vicksburg Municipal Court Friday morning.

No charges were filed against 17-year-old Rosemary Maethis, 1209 Locust St., who was taken into custody for questioning and then released.

An autopsy performed Thursday night confirmed that three gunshots struck Turner and that it was a gunshot in his side that proved fatal.

Turner’s sister, Rita Michelle Callahan, said Wednesday afternoon that she is sad but proud that her brother was trying to stop the fight.

“He was a well-liked person because he was good to other people,” Callahan said. “He always had that bright smile on his face.”

Callahan said her brother, a Warren Central High School graduate, enjoyed listening to music and loved his job at Jesse Bernard Construction.

His two sons, Jarquez, 13, and Jamal, 9, will stay with her mother for now.

“I am going to just keep praying to try and get through this,” Callahan said.

Services for Turner will be announced by W.H. Jefferson Funeral Home.