Police seek public's help in Jackson's 58th homicide
Tunoris Lewis' death Friday night marks a milestone for the city of Jackson: With a month and a half still left to go, Jackson has tied last year's homicide rate.
A website called "24/7 Wall Street" recently released a list of top cities in America by 2015 homicide rate per capita and ranks Jackson at number 6. Its information is said to be based on the most recent FBI Uniform Crime Report. It lists Jackson as having 53 homicides in 2015, but Jackson Police Department stats say there were 58 homicides in the capital city last year.
Meanwhile, Jackson police are asking for the public's help to identify two men seen fleeing the scene after Lewis was killed around 7:30 p.m. Friday. They say the men may have shot him in the head as he was driving down the road.
In fact, authorities said, it's believed they were inside the vehicle with Lewis when he was shot. If nothing else, police need to talk to them about what they know or may have seen during Lewis' last few minutes.
Jackson police spokesman Cmdr. Tyree Jones said the incident looked like a car accident at first because a vehicle had left the road and struck a house near the intersection of Anna Lisa Lane and Castle Hill Drive. When police arrived at 7:36 p.m., they found Lewis had been shot multiple times in the driver's seat of the vehicle.
Two men wearing dark-colored hoodies were seen running from the vehicle after the shots were fired. Police believe the shots may have been fired from inside the vehicle.
On Monday, authorities released a flyer asking the public for help identifying the person or persons responsible for Lewis' death. The flyer features a photo of Lewis smiling — a big toothy grin that belongs to a happy teenager.
Friday night, Jones said, "At this time we need all the help we can get regarding this incident." On Monday, he echoed those words.
"That's all we have," he said of the description on the flyer.
There have been numerous programs over the last few years that have taken aim at the crime rate in the capital city. Under former Hinds County Sheriff Tyrone Lewis and former JPD Chief Lindsey Horton, the Metro Area Crime Eradication program (MACE), based on Baton Rouge's BRAVE program, had started to make headway in targeted neighborhoods. When Hinds County Sheriff Victor Mason was elected and Horton left office, the MACE program went to the wayside.
In the summer of 2015, a federal initiative, which was to last 90 days but was so successful it was extended to 120 days, helped build community relations and get some regular offenders off the streets by getting them into the federal system.
For at least two years in a row, the U.S. Attorney's Office has spearheaded a program to get middle schoolers to take a pledge against gun violence.
Recently the city was chosen as a part of the Department of Justice's Violence Reduction Network, which provides resources and funding to help reduce violent crime in partnered cities where the level of violence exceeds the national average.
Dan Isom spent four years as the chief of police in St. Louis, Missouri, and was introduced earlier this month as a liaison to the city from the program.
If you have knowledge of this or any crime, please call JPD at 601-960-1234 or Crime Stoppers at 601-355-TIPS (8477). Send a text to 847411 and enter "JPD," followed by your tip information, then press "send." You may also submit a tip online by clicking on the web tip link on the homepage of the Central MS Crime Stoppers website, or submit your tip information from a mobile device or any other computer by going to www.P3tips.com.
Contact Therese Apel at tapel@gannett.com. Follow her on Facebook and Twitter.