Argument outside gas station turns violent as Vicksburg man shot in leg
Published 11:39 pm Friday, November 11, 2016
Police are continuing their search for a man accused of shooting and wounding another man during an argument Friday afternoon.
Vicksburg Police Chief Walter Armstrong said 39-year-old Jonathan Cox was shot in the leg during an argument with an unidentified man outside the Top Five Food Mart at the corner of Bowmar Avenue and Drummond Street. He said the man left on foot after the shooting.
The shooting occurred about 2:30 p.m. Cox was taken by a private vehicle to Merit Health River Region Medical Center and later transferred to University of Mississippi Medical Center, where he was in good condition.
The events leading to the shooting began about 1:57 p.m., when Cox entered the store and argued with the store clerk over some change for something he had bought.
“Apparently, Cox thought the clerk had not given him enough change,” Armstrong said. “The clerk offered to show him the sale on videotape, but the man refused to look and continued arguing.”
During the exchange between the clerk and Cox, another customer intervened and also argued with Cox.
The two men walked outside the store and continued arguing when the other man shot Cox twice in the leg.
The shooting remains under investigation, and investigators were reviewing video surveillance to identify the shooter, Vicksburg police Lt. Troy Kimble said.
Nearby Bowmar Elementary School was on cautionary standby status for a short period of time, but students were dismissed from school on time.
The Top Five has been the subject of complaints by residents living in the area.
Several residents complained during an August town hall meeting on crime about people hanging out at a convenience store and making lewd signs toward children heading to Bowmar Elementary School.
Armstrong said the store owner has made some changes following a meeting with police, adding complaints about activity at the store had fallen off since the town hall meeting.
Armstrong said the shooting was the first serious complaint police had received in some time.
Staff writer Alana Norris contributed to this report.