A man and his infant son were fatally shot during a shootout with police in Mississippi on Monday. The horrifying incident comes after the man allegedly shot and killed the child’s mother and kidnapped his 4-month-old son, according to Biloxi, Mississippi-based ABC and CBS affiliate WLOX.
Police responded Monday afternoon to a report of a shooting following a suspected domestic dispute inside the home of Christin Parker. When authorities arrived, Parker and her nephew, Brandon Parker, were found dead from gunshot wounds. Police then began searching for Parker’s child La’Mello, who they believed was abducted by his father, Eric Derell Smith.
Just before 3 p.m., authorities were alerted that Smith was spotted on Interstate 10 near the Louisiana-Mississippi state line, sending cops from multiple agencies racing to pursue him. Smith and the child were fatally shot after the vehicle he was driving came to a stop. His son was pronounced dead the following morning.
Not many details have been released regarding the incident but Harrison County Coroner Brian Switzer told WLOX that Smith was in the driver’s seat when he was shot.
One Harrison County sheriff’s deputy, a Gulfport police officer, and multiple Mississippi state troopers who were involved in the shooting have been placed on leave pending an investigation.
“The infant died from a single gunshot wound. He will not say where the gunshot wound was. He does not know if it was made at close range or long range. That information will be included in the autopsy report, which will be sent to investigators and the DA’s office,” Harrison County Coroner Brian Switzer said in a statement. “The suspect’s autopsy was also today. He died from multiple gunshot wounds.”
