Shooter kills man outside Mississippi courthouse

Therese Apel and Sarah Fowler | The (Jackson, Miss.) Clarion-Ledger

Show Caption Hide Caption Hear from Madison authorities on Monday courthouse shooting Authorities talk about a shooting in which William Wells, 24, walked up and shot Kendrick Brown, 37, in the chest at the Madison County Courthouse.

CANTON, Miss. — A man fatally shot a defendant Monday outside a rural courthouse as he was waiting to appear in court, a county sheriff said.

Kendrick Brown, 37, had been expected to reject a plea deal in a drug-related case and was scheduled for trial later this month, District Attorney Michael Guest said. He had been indicted Feb. 10, accused of selling cocaine and conspiracy to sell cocaine and was considered a habitual offender.

Brown died at 9:05 a.m. CT, about 30 minutes after the shooting was reported, of a single gunshot to the chest, according to Madison County Coroner Alex Breeland. The suspect, William Wells, 24, turned himself in immediately afterward.

Wells had been a firefighter for about a year in this city of 13,000 about 25 miles north of Jackson, Miss., and had no history of trouble, Canton Fire Chief Andrew Hughes said. He quit in June 2014.

Wells' mother was injured in a shooting over the weekend while in her car, Canton Police Chief Otha Brown said. But he did not know whether Kendrick Brown was shot in retaliation.

"The mother did get shot Saturday night when she was getting ready to go to work," the police chief said. "Someone shot into the vehicle and hit her in the leg."

She drove herself to the police department, was hospitalized, was later released and is recovering, Otha Brown said. Wells is in Madison County jail with a bail hearing set for 10 a.m. Tuesday.

The shooter waited for Kendrick Brown at the courthouse, walked up to him, shot him once with a semiautomatic handgun in the chest, immediately laid down his weapon and surrendered, Madison County Sheriff Randy Tucker said.

"Regardless of what anybody says about his lifestyle, he was a good man," said Kayce McPherson, Kendrick Brown's friend. "He was a good guy. He loved his son. He didn't mess with nobody."

Hours after the shooting, a group of friends and relatives gathered at Wells’ house, which shares a backyard fence with the home of his mother and father. The homes are just southeast of Canton’s courthouse square.

Lebertha Luckett identified herself as Wells’ girlfriend and said she had known him since high school.

“He’s a good guy,” Luckett said. “I don’t know what happened.”

Kendrick Brown's lawyer witnessed the shooting, Guest said.

"My office has very great trust in local law enforcement. In my opinion this shooting could not have been prevented," Guest said.

Canton is a historic antebellum town known for its Christmas lights festival on the town square. The courthouse is a couple of blocks north of Canton's main square and historical district.

Emergency medical technicians were called to Kendrick Brown's home later Monday morning to treat his mother and brother for anxiety. Kendrick Brown's brother, who was not identified, also was at the shooting scene.

Contributing: The Associated Press