JAYESS, Miss. – Officials said Tuesday that they were looking for a man in rural south Mississippi after he shot and killed another man.
Mississippi Highway Patrol spokesman Warren Strain said officers responded before noon Tuesday to an area near Jayess in Lawrence County.
Lawrence County Sheriff Lessie Butler tells The Daily Leader of Brookhaven that investigators believe that Tony Wilson shot and killed Henry Peavey. Butler said the two men have been involved in a land dispute and that Peavey was granted the land by a court ruling.
"Tony's girlfriend called and said Tony had killed Mr. Peavey and set his house on fire," Butler said.
Robert Langille, Wilson's brother-in-law, said Wilson's father had paid taxes on a small parcel of land for years, but that Peavey had won legal title.
The sheriff said Peavey's wife was burned in the fire and was taken to a hospital in Jackson. Some officials said Peavey's wife was also shot. Langille denied that Peavey's wife was injured.
Strain said Wilson also set fire to a second structure.
Butler said a witness told officers that Wilson was inside the trailer. Deputies waited for a state SWAT team before trying to enter, but it wasn't clear if Wilson was present.
"We haven't laid eyes on him," Butler said.
Strain said the man does not appear to have fired at officers and Butler said he didn't know if Wilson was still armed.
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Information from: The Daily Leader, http://www.dailyleader.com