Sheriff’s deputy William Durr was shot and killed last night, reportedly by Willie Corey Godbolt, age 35, who is in custody. Five more adults and two juveniles were also killed during the Shooting Spree, which started as a domestic disturbance call, according to Warren Strain, spokesman for the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation (MBI).
Based on the Officer Down Memorial Page, 36-year-old Durr was the first officer killed in Lincoln County in the line of duty. He was a two-year veteran of the county’s sheriff’s office. He was also a four-year veteran of Brookhaven’s Police Department.
Suspect allegedly wanted suicide by cops
Godbolt, of Bogue Chitto, had an argument with his wife over their two children, according to witness Vincent Mitchell, who is Godbolt’s step-father-in-law. Godbolt and his wife were separated. For approximately three weeks, the accused’s wife and children were living in Mitchell’s home, along with Godbolt’s mother-in-law.
Mitchell and Godbolt’s wife escaped, but, he said, that his wife Barbara Mitchell, her daughter, Toccarra May, and his sister-in-law, Brenda May, were each shot and killed.
Godbolt, while handcuffed, gave a roadside interview to a Jackson, Mississippi newspaper, The Clarion-Ledger. He said he was talking with his wife about taking their children home with him and “somebody” called the police.
His intention was not to be captured by police, he said; he was aiming for suicide by cops but he ran out of bullets. Godbolt also stated that he isn’t “fit to live” after what he said he’s done.
According to Mitchell, the homicide suspect appeared as if he was leaving, but reached into his back pocket, pulled a gun, and opened fire.
He said he is devastated and it doesn’t seem “real.”
Godbolt killed four additional people after fleeing Mitchell’s house, including two boys deputies found at a second crime scene -- 1658 Coopertown Road in Brookhaven. At a third crime scene, 312 East Lincoln Road in Brookhaven, officers found a woman and a man dead. The identities of the victims are pending while next of kin are being notified.
The suspect also held a 16-year-old male hostage. Steve Rushing, Lincoln County Sheriff, said the hostage is safe. Prior to his arrest, Godbolt sustained a gunshot wound to his arm and was taken to University of Mississippi Medical Center (UMMC) in Jackson for treatment. It is unknown who shot him.
Multiple fatalities found at multiple crime scenes
The shooting rampage started at roughly 11:30 p.m. and lasted roughly seven hours between the first shooting and the last. How long the suspect is hospitalized will determine when he is charged, according to Warren Strain -- Mississippi Bureau of Investigation spokesman. He might also be charged with kidnapping and auto burglary.
Also, Strain said that the shooting spree resulted in MBI’s largest multiple homicide investigation in recent years.
With three crime scenes and multiple people who have to be interviewed, he stated too that the investigation is anticipated to be slow. Though Strain said he couldn’t speculate as to Godbolt’s motive, Mitchell said the shootings evolved from domestic violence.
Governor Phil Bryant asked for prayers in a statement.
