A father and son were killed in a shootout at their gun store in Mississippi on Saturday after what may have been an argument stemming from a $25 service charge.
The shootout allegedly began when a gun owner and his son stopped by the gun store, McLemore Gun Shop on Highway 43 North in Pearl River County, at around 3:15 p.m. to retrieve a gun that had been dropped off to be repaired, WLOX News reported citing Pearl River County Sheriff David Allison as the source.
After the gun shop owner’s wife–who was not injured in the shootout–allegedly informed the customers that the repairs had not yet been finished and that they would have to pay a $25 service charge, the two allegedly became agitated. The owner’s wife then called her husband and son to deescalate the situation.
Upon arrival, the shop’s owner and his son–both of whom were pronounced dead on the scene–began to argue with the father and son that had dropped by to pickup their gun only to find that they had to pay a $25 service charge.
The situation reportedly escalated from a verbal conflict to a physical one. Pearl River County Chief Deputy Shane Tucker was quoted by the Sun Herald as having said that the authorities “believe there might have been some pushing and shoving” during the argument that ensued prior to the shootout.
While Tucker stated that it is presently unclear who fired the first shot, he noted that a customer “and one of the owners produced firearms.”
During this argument, we believe there might have been some pushing and shoving […] One of the customers and one of the owners produced firearms. We don’t know who shot first.
The two customers, both of whom were shot in the conflict, were airlifted to nearby hospitals with life-threatening injuries, according to Tucker. The young customer, the son, is reportedly in his late twenties while his father is in his fifties.
WLOX reports that one of the injured customers was sent to Hattiesburg Hospital while the other went to the New Orleans Medical Center.
