Minister: Men fired shot in church parking lot just before fatal wreck

A Jackson minister says two men involved in a fiery fatal wreck Sunday had allegedly just fired a shot in the parking lot of his church.

Police said the passenger of a black Nissan Maxima was killed in the wreck on the 2800 block of Greenview Drive. The driver is currently at University of Mississippi Medical Center being treated for his injuries, according to JPD spokesperson Colendula Green.

Police wouldn't immediately identify the passenger who was burned in the car, but there was a crowd of witnesses, family and friends on the scene on Greenview Drive. Family members identified the deceased as Nikey Fisher-Ritchey.

"They ran into a tree and the car caught on fire. And he was burned beyond recognition," said Melonia Taylor, the grandmother of the victim.

A witness said he was able to pull the driver out of the car but was unable to save Fisher-Ritchey.

"I pulled the first guy out, the guy that was driving, and pulled him to the side. He had a cut right here and I didn’t have on no shirt, I had on pants. I took my pants off and wrapped it around his wound, and the car blew up. The car set afire," said Nicholas Young. "Nikey was still in the car."

Young grew up with Fisher-Ritchey.

Witnesses expressed anger and concern because they said they don't believe the police tried to help free Fisher-Ritchey from the car before it exploded. It's procedure for officers to wait for an ambulance crew before removing victims of a car crash for medical safety reasons, including that they could have spinal injuries and do not need to be moved until they can be stabilized.

It's unclear if officers were aware that the car was about to explode, or if there was fire showing at the time.

"When I came out of the house, the other dude, he hit the tree right there and the police were already there. The car was about to start fire and the police, they sat right there," Young said. "They watched the car go up in flames and they sat right there."

Green also said the car was stolen during a recent robbery and had been involved in a series of crimes before the accident occurred.

"I don’t know what they were doing, but someone said they were weaving up and down Terry Road in the cars and stuff and they came here," said Taylor.

Green said there was not a police pursuit involved.

Ronnie Crudup, Jr., a minister at New Horizon International Church, said the two came into the church for a few minutes earlier Sunday morning. He said it's not unusual to see new people in the church.

"They came inside for a minute and used the restroom, they probably stayed in about three to five minutes," he said, saying that he greeted them and they spoke back.

An off-duty police officer who does security for the church saw the two loitering in the parking lot hanging around and told them they needed to either come inside the church or leave.

"He said they left, but they kind of got upset when they left and they fired a gunshot in the air when they were leaving, they fired a round in the air in the church parking lot," Crudup said.

Crudup said the officer told him the man in the passenger seat was the one who fired the shot. The officer called JPD to let them know that it happened.

"Next thing he told me the guy had crashed and burned up," he said. "It wasn't an hour after I saw them."

Young said Fisher-Ritchey had made some mistakes, but that he was a good person.

"He was a people person, anybody can get along with him. Everybody, anybody," he said. "He was smart, intelligent. He bumped his head a couple times, but he's a smart person, he’s a good person. Everybody loves him. That’s why everybody’s out here, because they know that even though he came from nothing, he’s trying. Even though everybody falls short of the glory of God. He was a good person though."