Man who shot self, wife at funeral not dead
Despite initial reports to the contrary, officials said a man who fatally shot his estranged wife and then turned the gun on himself Saturday is not dead.
Sheriff Donald O'Cain said Danny Harris shot Shonda Harris about 2:40 p.m. outside the Dry Ridge Missionary Baptist Church on Mount Zion Road following a funeral for a friend of Shonda Harris.
Danny Harris walked up to his estranged wife's vehicle and shot her with a handgun, first in the shoulder and then in the head. He then walked behind the vehicle and shot himself in the head. O'Cain said as he dropped his arm, he shot himself again in the stomach. Shonda Harris was pronounced dead on the scene.
"She was a fine lady, very well respected," said O'Cain.
He said others who attended the funeral saw the incident.
"It was very evident as to what happened, ad there were a lot of witnesses," he said. "We're still interviewing some of those people at this time on that investigation."
It was reported that Danny Harris later died that night at the University of Mississippi Medical Center, but according to both Simpson County Coroner Terry Tutor and Hinds County Coroner Sharon Grisham-Stewart, he is still alive.
"We heard he died, but later heard that wasn't accurate," O'Cain said. "He's still in critical condition."
Contact Therese Apel at tapel@gannett.com. Follow her on Facebook and Twitter.