Authorities are still looking for a Starkville teen suspected of shooting someone Wednesday afternoon in Columbus.
Cameron Jones, 17, is wanted for aggravated assault and is considered “very dangerous,” according to Columbus Police Department Capt. Rick Jones. He evaded capture, despite a lengthy manhunt Wednesday evening in north Starkville involving multiple agencies.
Columbus police responded to a residence at Hemlock Street at about 3:50 p.m. to a report of a male gunshot victim, Rick Jones told The Dispatch. He said Cameron Jones and two other suspects, all of whom are from Starkville and know the victim, came to Columbus and began arguing with the victim.
Cameron Jones is believed to have shot the victim more than once before all three suspects fled in a vehicle to Starkville.
CPD notified Starkville and Oktibbeha County authorities, and an Oktibbeha County sheriff’s deputy pulled over the vehicle at about 4:30 p.m. at Highway 389 and Garrard Road. All three suspects jumped out of the car and ran, but two — Darren Hall, 22; and Christopher Harrell, 16 — were apprehended. Cameron Jones, however, got away.
Law enforcement combed the Jackson Street/389 area between Garrard and Hospital roads but did not find Cameron Jones.
The victim was taken to Baptist Memorial Hospital-Golden Triangle before being transferred to an out-of-area hospital, Rick Jones said. As of press time, the victim was out of surgery and in stable condition.
Hall and Harrell are charged with aggravated assault and are being held in Lowndes County Adult Detention Center awaiting arraignment. Harrell is being charged as an adult.
Cameron Jones has been indicted on five counts of aggravated assault in a Nov. 18 incident where he shot at five victims, including his girlfriend at the time. He was out on $150,000 bond.
He was also arrested in April 2021 for allegedly shooting a male victim in the leg at Brookville Garden Apartments. Circuit court records do not show where he has been indicted on that charge.
He is described as a Black male, about 5-foot-5, and was wearing all black at the time he fled the deputy.
Anyone with information on his whereabouts is asked to contact 911 or Golden Triangle Crime Stoppers at 800-530-7151.
Zack Plair is the managing editor for The Dispatch.
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