TWO MORE ARRESTED IN VICKSBURG SHOOTING

The fourth man charged in the shooting death of Jerome Rankin will remain in the Warren County Jail without bail.

Warren County Judge John Price Thursday denied bail for Andrew King, 23, 280 Curry St., after an initial appearance in County Court. King’s family attended the court appearance.

King is charged with second-degree murder and three counts of aggravated assault in the Sunday shooting that left Rankin, 22, of Vicksburg, dead and wounded three others. King is accused of being one of the shooters in the melee.

His arrest was the fourth in the shootings, which occurred after several groups gathered in the parking lot of the Kangaroo Express at the corner of U.S. 80 and Mississippi 27 in Warren County. Warren County Sheriff Martin Pace said Friday two more people were arrested Thursday in connection with the shooting.

Soloman Harris Jr., 27, 2828 Grove St., faces a charge of one count of aggravated assault. He was being held without bail in the Warren County Jail pending an initial appearance in County Court. Another man, Malcolm Robertson, 25, 100 Hilda Drive, is charged with one count of possession of a weapon by a convicted felon. Price denied bail because Robertson was on probation for another felony charge.

Tuesday, Price denied bail for three other suspects charged in the shooting: Erick Leamont Smith, 22, 314 Linda St., Don Cornelius Bell, 22, 1315 Fillmore St., and Ricky Lee Perkins, 17, 824 Polk St.

Smith and Perkins are each charged with one count of second-degree murder, one count of drive-by shooting and three counts of aggravated assault. Bell is charged with one count of second-degree murder and one count of drive-by shooting.

At King’s initial appearance Thursday, Price cited the ongoing sheriff’s department investigation into the shootings as his reason for denying bail.

Louis Coleman, one of King’s attorneys, told Price King had not been trouble before outside of a misdemeanor offense. He said his client was a certified welder, worked at the Vicksburg National Military Park and had a job waiting with International Paper Co. in Baton Rouge, La. He said King voluntarily went to the sheriff’s department Monday to give a statement on the shootings.

He asked Price to consider bond and ordering King to wear an electronic bracelet on his ankle, adding King’s family would help ensure he would remain in town.

Deputy Warren County coroner Kelda Bailess said Rankin was pronounced dead at 4:25 p.m. Sunday at the University of Mississippi Medical Center.

She said Rankin’s body was taken to the Mississippi State Crime Lab in Jackson for an autopsy.

Pace said two of the wounded people remain in the hospital and one has been released.

Anyone with information about the shooting is encouraged to call Central Mississippi Crime Stoppers at 601-355-8477, Pace said.

Callers remain anonymous and do not have to testify in court. Crime stoppers will pay a cash reward for information leading to the arrest of a felony suspect.

The shooting occurred about 2:15 a.m. Sunday after people gathered in the Kangaroo parking lot after several nightclubs in Vicksburg closed. An argument began and shots were fired by several people. All of the wounded people were adults age 20 to 27, Pace said.

He said when deputies arrived at the scene they found one of the wounded victims still in the convenience store parking lot. He was taken to Merit Health River Region Medical Center by ambulance.

The other victims were taken to River Region by private vehicles. All were later transferred to University of Mississippi Medical Center.