The quick, heroic actions of a bystander ended a shooting incident in which two people were wounded Friday night in Brownsville. The shooting occurred after the Haywood High Tomcats’ homecoming game.
Demetrius Harper was shot twice in the back and Cameshia Murphy was hit once in the foot. Murphy was taken by ambulance to a Jackson hospital and Harper was flown to Memphis. Both victims were treated and released — their wounds not serious enough to require hospitalization.
Brownsville Police Chief Barry Diebold credits Patrick Shields with stopping the teenage gunman. “A citizen is the hero of this incident…” Diebold wrote in an e-mail to Brownsville Radio and the Brownsville Press. “Patrick Shields of Brownsville is responsible for stopping the shooter, disarming and restraining him as officers converged on the shooter,” Diebold said.
“…A fight occurred between several teens at the conclusion of the football game,” Diebold said. Four shots were fired according to investigators. The gunshots erupted outside of the stadium near the Elma Ross Library. Harper collapsed near Walgreens, according to Diebold. The scene was chaotic because the crowd was leaving the just concluded ballgame.
Shields apparently saw the gunfire which erupted about 9:30 p.m. Diebold said the gunman ran near Shields when he grabbed him and threw him to the ground. Police officers were there in seconds and took the 16-year old boy into custody.
The shooting marred an otherwise perfect Homecoming week capped Friday by a spectacular parade and a big win for the Tomcats over Crockett County. “There are maybe 1100 teenagers in Brownsville…most of them are really good kids…but one-percent cause the trouble,” a frustrated Diebold said Friday night.
The teenager accused of the shooting is incarcerated in a juvenile detention center. His name, because he is underage, is being withheld. Diebold said officer are familiar with the young man suspect who has been in and out of trouble on other occasions. He is charged with criminal attempt to commit 1st degree murder, aggravated assault and reckless endangerment. Because of the seriousness of the incident and his past record, Diebold said he will ask prosecutors to ask that the boy be moved to adult court.
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