A Lowndes County man is behind bars after he allegedly shot another man over a dog.
According to a press release from the Lowndes County Sheriff’s Office, deputies were called to Baptist Memorial Hospital-Golden Triangle after a man showed up in the emergency room Saturday with a gunshot wound to the stomach. Witnesses told investigators that Randy Gunter, 45, was responsible, and that the shooting had taken place on Swartz Drive in northern Lowndes County.
After getting out of surgery the victim told detectives that Gunter was the shooter. The two men knew each other and got into a disagreement over the purchase of a dog, according to the press release.
The release said that Gunter has been arrested 49 times for misdemeanors and 38 times for felonies, including aggravated assault, violation of probation, felony fleeing or eluding, sale of cocaine, intimidation of a witness, sale of a controlled substance and possession of cocaine.
Because Gunter would allegedly try to run from officers in the past, deputies took him into custody Tuesday morning when he went to the Mississippi Department of Corrections office to check in for probation.
Gunter has been charged with aggravated assault with a weapon or other means to produce death.
Detectives are working to find additional witnesses and evidence related to the shooting. Anyone with any knowledge of this case is asked to contact the Lowndes County Sheriff’s Office at 662-328-6788 or Golden Triangle Crime Stoppers at 800-530-7151. Tips can also be submitted via the P3 smartphone app.
Tips are always anonymous, and tips that lead to an arrest are eligible for a cash reward.
Brian Jones is the local government reporter for Columbus and Lowndes County.
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