A Vicksburg woman was in the hospital with shotgun wounds this morning and police believe Vicksburg homeowner and antiques dealer shot her because he thought someone was attempting to steal planters from his front yard on Cherry Street, police said.

Carol Clement, 45, 1315 Baum St., was in fair condition at River Region Medical Center at mid-morning, hospital spokesman Allen Karel said.

Russell Puckett, 70, whose home at 2108 Cherry is known as the Feld Home, was being held at the Vicksburg Police Department.

He was charged with two counts of aggravated assault for shooting at Clement and her daughter, 19-year-old Kameron Smith, who also lives at 1315 Baum, said Lt. Bobby Stewart.

Puckett is accused of firing blasts at the women three times, hitting Clement once as the women were leaving the scene, Stewart said.

No charges had been filed against the women.

Police responded to a shots fired call to the area, where East Avenue intersects with Cherry, at about 1 a.m. Clement was taken to the hospital by a private vehicle at about 1:35, Stewart said.

Stewart said this morning that Puckett had reported several thefts from his home in recent months.

Stewart said Puckett was on his property when the shots were fired, but the women were already across the street. Puckett told police they were attempting to steal two flower planters from outside his home.

Puckett was not jailed, but was being held pending an initial court hearing today.

In 2006, the Mississippi Legislature passed a statute modeled after one in Florida that for the first time allowed the use of deadly force in some circumstances in the defense of a home or other property. It’s commonly called the castle doctrine. The previous legal standard was use of deadly force was allowed only when in fear of imminent personal harm and there was a duty to retreat, if possible, before using deadly force.

The new law removes the duty to retreat and presumes that a person who uses deadly force against an intruder was acting in self-defense. It does not define the limits of the area that can be defended.

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Contact Manivanh Chanprasith at mchan@vicksburgpost.com