MS man accused of killing child’s mother while kids are home
MEMPHIS, Tenn. — A Tunica, Mississippi man is in custody after he reportedly shot and killed his child’s mother while children were in the home.
According to reports, the Tunica County Sheriff’s Office received a 911 call on Jan. 5 at around 9:50 p.m.
The woman on the phone stated that a child came to her home, claiming his mother had been shot inside their apartment next door.
Reports say upon arrival at 2669 Kirby Road in Robinsonville, Miss., deputies heard shots fired inside the apartment, and two additional children were located outside the residence.
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Deputies evacuated the surrounding apartments and reportedly spoke with the man inside the apartment over the phone. They were able to get the man to drop his weapon and leave the apartment at 10:35 p.m.
“They detained him,” a neighbor told WREG. “He didn’t seem to put up any sort of fight or anything.”
The man police say is responsible for the shooting is 37-year-old Donald Demario Patrick of Tunica, Miss.
According to a press release, Patrick told deputies on the scene that he shot his child’s mother, 34-year-old Shaterica Queshun Bell of Robinsonville, Miss., and that there was a newborn inside the apartment.
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Bell was located inside the apartment with an apparent gunshot wound. She was pronounced dead on the scene due to her injuries, reports say.
The newborn baby was also located inside the home, unharmed.
Patrick is being held at the Tunica County Detention Center, pending charges.
“Our hearts are heavy today for this family. Please keep their children in your prayers,” said the Tunica County Sheriff’s Office in a press release.
While neighbors say shootings aren’t necessarily uncommon in the neighborhood, this one was different.
“I feel fairly safe in our house. It’s just kind of crazy, especially since we knew him,” a neighbor said. “And my husband has been over there and hung out with him a couple of times. So it was just very shocking, I guess, to say the least.”
The investigation is ongoing. If you have any information regarding this incident, you are urged to call the Tunica County Sheriff’s Office at 662-363-1411 or Crime Stoppers at 662-910-0400.
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