District Attorney John Champion and Panola County Sheriff Dennis Darby appeared confident Wednesday afternoon that they had the keys to solving the case of two gunshot deaths which occurred Tuesday night on Shiloh Road.

Panola County coroner Gracie Grant-Gulledge confirmed the names of two persons killed in a Tuesday night altercation on Shiloh Road west of 51 Highway near Courtland between 8-8:30 p.m.

Wayland Bownes and Reco Leland died at the scene, of apparent gunshot wounds, according to Gulledge who said both bodies had been transported to Jackson where they await autopsies by the State Medical Examiner’s office today or Thursday.

It’s the autopsy results along with evidence being investigated by the Mississippi Crime Lab that officials are waiting to hear from while thinking it will confirm their suspicions derived through other evidence and interviews occurring throughout the night Tuesday all the way into Wednesday mid-afternoon.

The incident was, “an on-going fight over a female,” according to District Attorney Champion who said apparent the loser of a fist fight re-appeared with friends with guns.

Although not too specific,  Sheriff Dennis Darby, S.O. investigator Barry Thompson, Assistant DA Jay Hale along with DA Champion revealed that multiple shots were fired outside the home where the assailants were found.

Thompson said a fight occurred Sunday, spilled over to Monday and Tuesday.

Although those with gang affiliation may have been involved, Thompson said he did not think it had anything to do with the altercation.

Thompson, who has worked on the Jessica Chambers case for the majority of the past six months, said Tuesday’s shooting incident was much easier to investigate, with people willing to come forward and assist with the investigation.

Sheriff Darby commended his department’s investigators as well as the DA’s office.

“They were in the thick of it late last night,” he said.

The sheriff also commended Batesville’s Spec Ops unit and Panola County Emergency Management Agency.
The shooting occurred at approximately 8 p.m. when off-duty investigator Danny Beaver was notified at his Courtland home that a shooting had occurred nearby. The area was quickly secured and later canine units were used from Emergency Management and Batesville’s Special Ops unit for a grid search to find any more potential victims or evidence, Darby said.

Champion is tentatively scheduling a news conference for Thursday morning in Hernando to reveal the outcome of the investigation, pending results from the Crime Lab and autopsy results.