Vicksburg man indicted for August drive-by shooting

Published 1:32 pm Sunday, February 21, 2021

The Warren County grand jury has handed down a two-count indictment charging a Vicksburg man in an August drive-by shooting.

The indictment from the January grand jury charges Xavier Allen, 31, 319 Cedar School Circle, with drive-by shooting and shooting at a motor vehicle in an Aug. 15 incident.

According to Vicksburg Police reports, officers responding to call about a shooting in the area of Cedars School Circle near Warrenton Lane were told by the victim that Allen fired shots at him, damaging his 1999 Mercury Grand Marquis.

Email newsletter signup

Sign up for The Vicksburg Post's free newsletters

Check which newsletters you would like to receive
  • Vicksburg News: Sent daily at 5 am
  • Vicksburg Sports: Sent daily at 10 am
  • Vicksburg Living: Sent on 15th of each month

Officers later stopped Allen’s vehicle and saw a rifle on the front passenger seat and a spent shell casing on the back seat of the vehicle. Allen was arrested for shooting into an occupied vehicle. He was later released on a $20,000 bond.

Other indictments include:

• Louis Gaskin III, 39, 1314 South St., was indicted on a charge of kidnapping in an October incident.

Gaskin is accused of entering a woman’s car with a gun and forcing her to drive to a home on Spring Ridge Drive.

• Issac Cowans, 27, 1309 Lamar Ave., Yazoo City; larceny of a motor vehicle in the theft of a vehicle belonging to Pafford Emergency Medical Services.

• James Edward Jones, 46, 302 Bayou Blvd.; three counts of possession of a controlled substance-possession of marijuana, possession of Fentanyl and possession of methamphetamine. He was indicted as a habitual offender because he had two previous felony drug arrests.

• Melvin Cox, 60, 1800 South Street, sale of a controlled substance-cocaine.

• Leroy Guise, 39, 502 Farmer Street, aggravated assault-domestic violence.

• John Earl Wallace, 21, 1821 Louisiana Ave., possession of a controlled substance-cocaine.

• Steven Eugene Sanders, 28, 4407 Halls Ferry Road No. 27; possession of a controlled substance-methamphetamine.

• Hewitt Mitchell, 21, 1108 Fayette St., possession of a controlled substance-marijuana.

• Ashanti Hardin, 18, 1050 China Grove Road; embezzlement. He is accused of taking lottery tickets valued at $1,012 from a Circle K convenience store where he was employed.

• Rickey Lee Sims, 52, 1203 Second North St.; non-residential burglary in the theft of items from Armstrong Flooring, 1735 North Washington St. He was indicted as a habitual offender because he has two previous felony convictions.

• David Paul Hasty, 31, 813 Central Ave.; possession of a stolen firearm.

• Jamila Marie Barnes, 32, 2612 Ken Karyl Ave.; uttering a forgery.

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.

email author More by John