BROOKHAVEN, Miss. (AP) - In a story May 30 about a series of shootings in Mississippi, The Associated Press reported erroneously, based on incorrect information from authorities, the middle name of the man charged in the shootings. His name is Willie Cory Godbolt, not Corey.
A corrected version of the story is below:
The Latest: Shooting suspect shows little emotion in court
A Mississippi sheriff says the man accused of killing eight people at three houses eluded police by leaving the scenes quickly and changing vehicles multiple times
BROOKHAVEN, Miss. (AP) - The Latest on a series of shootings in Mississippi that left eight people dead (all times local):
3:20 p.m.
A Mississippi man accused of killing eight people showed little emotion during his first court appearance.
A judge denied bond Tuesday for 35-year-old Willie Cory Godbolt, who is charged with one count of capital murder and seven counts of first-degree murder.
Lincoln County Justice Court Judge Roger Martin says the court will appoint an attorney for Godbolt.
Martin sent Godbolt to the Copiah County jail to await action by a grand jury. It’s unclear whether authorities will complete their investigation in time for the next Lincoln County grand jury meeting in late June.
Godbolt’s hearing was held in Gallman County, the county just north of where he is accused in the weekend killings. Mississippi Bureau of Investigation spokesman Warren Strain says it was moved out of Brookhaven because of safety concerns.
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12:30 p.m.
A Mississippi sheriff says the man accused of killing eight people at three houses eluded police by leaving the scenes quickly and changing vehicles multiple times.
Lincoln County Sheriff Steve Rushing said Tuesday that two other sheriff’s departments and the highway patrol were helping his small department try to capture Willie Cory Godbolt over the weekend.
He says the initial call to remove someone from a house Saturday night seemed routine and a single deputy responded, with a second officer a few minutes behind. Authorities say Deputy William Durr was shot and killed along with three other people at that first house.
The sheriff says Godbolt changed vehicles three or four times as he went to two other homes across the county and killed four more people.
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11:20 a.m.
Officials say the man accused of fatally shooting eight people in Mississippi had been arrested previously.
Lincoln County Sheriff Steve Rushing said Tuesday that his department had arrested William Cory Godbolt in disturbing the peace, assault and domestic violence cases. Rushing says Godbolt’s last arrest was more than a year ago for simple assault.
The sheriff didn’t know whether Rushing had been convicted on any charges.
Investigators say Godbolt shot and killed the victims, including a deputy, at three locations over the weekend. They say he will be charged with one count of capital murder and seven counts of first degree murder.
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10:10 a.m.
Funeral services are being arranged for the eight people who died in a string of related shootings over the weekend in Mississippi.
Investigators say all eight people were shot and killed by Willie Cory Godbolt on Saturday and Sunday in Lincoln County, south of Jackson.
The first funeral will be held Thursday afternoon for Lincoln County Sheriff’s Deputy William Durr at a church in Brookhaven, and he will buried later that day at a cemetery in Bogue Chitto (BOH’-guh CHIT’-uh).
Services for 17-year-old Jordan Blackwell and his 11-year-old cousin, Austin Edwards, will be held Saturday at a Brookhaven junior high school.
The same location will host the funeral for Sheila Burage, 46, and husband Ferral Burrage, 45, on Sunday afternoon.
Finally, a funeral is planned for 55-year-old Barbara Mitchell, her 35-year-old daughter, Tacarra May, and Mitchell’s 53-year-old sister, Brenda May, on Monday at the school.
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9:45 a.m.
A man accused of fatally shooting eight people in Mississippi has been released from a hospital.
Mississippi Bureau of Investigation spokesman Warren Strain said Tuesday morning that Willie Cory Godbolt is now being held in an “undisclosed detention facility.”
After being arrested Sunday morning in Brookhaven, Godbolt was taken to the University of Mississippi Medical Center for a gunshot wound to be treated. Investigators haven’t said publicly who shot Godbolt but say he was not wounded by police while being arrested.
Godbolt awaits an initial court appearance, where a judge will decide on setting bail and make sure he has a lawyer. Officials in Lincoln County Justice Court say that appearance is not yet scheduled.
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2:40 a.m.
A Mississippi teen says his 18-year-old cousin sacrificed his life to shield him from a gunman’s bullets.
Fifteen-year-old Caleb Edwards says he could feel the force of the impact as Jordan Blackwell was shot. Edwards’ 11-year-old brother Austin was also fatally shot. Caleb said after his brother was shot, “I thought I was going to die.”
The cousins were among eight people killed in a rampage at three different houses.
With his mother standing by his side Monday, Caleb spoke calmly as he recounted to The Associated Press how he felt the force of the impact as Blackwell was shot Sunday.
Investigators say 35-year-old Willie Cory Godbolt will be charged with one count of capital murder and seven counts of first degree murder. He could make an initial court appearance Tuesday.
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