By Billy Davis and Rupert Howell

The Mississippi Highway Patrol floated the possibility Monday that a killer posing as a law enforcement officer is behind the pair of recent highway shootings.

The state agency raised the idea in a news statement following the shooting deaths of Thomas Schlender, 74, and Lori Ann Carswell, 48, who were killed four days apart on Mississippi highways.

Schlender was shot to death at the Pope-Courtland exit south of Batesville. Carswell was shot and killed in Tunica County near the Interstate 69 interchange.

The Mississippi Bureau of Investigation (MBI) is leading a state investigation and the agency’s director, Lt. Col. Larry Waggoner, suggested a blue-light killer in both shootings.

“The concern is that someone is posing as a law enforcement officer and that is how these vehicles end up on the side of the road,” Waggoner said in a statement.

If a driver is concerned during a traffic stop, Waggoner suggests calling “911” or “*47” on their cell phones.

Authorities have not said conclusively if they believe the shootings are related, though The Panolian has learned that cartridge hulls from the scenes and ballistic testing indicate the same firearm was used.

Both shootings also occurred in the early-morning hours. Schlender, who was driving through Mississippi to Florida, was killed about 1:40 a.m. Carswell was found in her car about 2:15 a.m. Friday morning. She was leaving her job at Fitzgerald’s Casino.

Panola County Sheriff Dennis Darby said Monday local investigators are working side by side with MBI, and the sheriff’s departments in Tunica County and DeSoto County.

Darby said a close relative of Thomas Schlender has been communicating with him.

“I told him all of our agencies are cooperating,” Darby said. “We’re working together in order to find out who did this — bring him to justice.”

The Panolian has reported that Schlender was driving to Florida to pick up a grandchild from college.  

District Attorney John Champion was set to hold a news conference late Monday about the pair of shootings.

Darby said the district attorney’s office is handling most media inquiries about the ongoing investigation.

The news release from Waggoner announced a cash reward for information leading to an arrest. The number is 1-888-827-4637.