Suspects tied to Christmas Eve shooting indicted

Published 6:51 pm Tuesday, June 4, 2019

Two men involved in a Christmas Eve shooting incident that occurred in the area of Washington and Crawford streets have been indicted on multiple counts of aggravated assault in connection with incident.

Johnny Gibson, 35, 1651 Forest Ave. Apt. 6, Jackson, and Leslie Lee Watts, 25, 1105 Ernie Martin Drive, Utica, are each charged with four counts od aggravated assault in the shootings, which occurred early in the morning on Dec. 24.

Watts also faces a charge of possession of a weapon after felony conviction.

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Both remain in the Warren County Jail.

According to police reports, officers were called about 1:37 a.m. to a report of shots fired in the 1300 block of Washington Street.

Witnesses told police they heard a group of men arguing when shots rang out, and officers discovered a number of shell casings in the street. No one was injured in the shooting.

Police later learned two vehicles left the area immediately after the shooting, a white GMC pickup and a red Chevrolet Malibu, and the people in the vehicles were responsible for the shooting.

Police later were to able locate the vehicles and the occupants.

In other cases:

• Quadarious Raekwon Jones, 21, 1319 China St. Apt. E, was indicted on four counts of sale of cocaine.

Jones was arrested Feb. 6, after turning himself in to Vicksburg police. The arrest was the result of an investigation into citizen complaints about drug activity in the area of Lake and Harrison streets.

• Michael James Austin Jones, 24, 121 Lee Circle; sale of a controlled substance. He is accused of selling cocaine to a police informant. He was indicted as a habitual offender because he had two prior felony charges.

• April Michelle Daily, 37, 558 Fonsylvania Road; possession of controlled substance – methamphetamine.

• Derrick Hyland, 34, 426 Dana Road; credit card fraud. He is accused of using someone else’s credit card at a Circle K to get cash and gasoline totaling $825.34. He was indicted as a habitual offender because he has two prior felony charges.

About John Surratt

John Surratt is a graduate of Louisiana State University with a degree in general studies. He has worked as an editor, reporter and photographer for newspapers in Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama. He has been a member of The Vicksburg Post staff since 2011 and covers city government. He and his wife attend St. Paul Catholic Church and he is a member of the Port City Kiwanis Club.

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