Story updated Monday, Feb. 6, 2023
Itta Bena police have one suspect in custody and are looking for a second following a fatal shooting Friday night that they are calling an “ambush.”
The suspect, an unidentified Itta Bena man in his late 30s, is being held in connection with the death of Willie P. Baines, 26, also of Itta Bena, said Aaron Agee, an investigator with the town’s Police Department.
Agee said Baines was shot three times at the car wash across from the Four Seasons gas station on Humphreys Street, near downtown. The shooting occurred at about 11 p.m. Baines was dead at the scene.
Two firearms were used in the slaying, a high-powered assault-style rifle and a handgun, Agee said.
“It was an ambush shooting,” he said.
The first suspect was arrested shortly after the incident but as of Monday afternoon had not been formally charged. He is being held at the Leflore County Jail, Agee said.
The second suspect, also a male, was still at large.
Baines’ death was the first homicide in Leflore County in 2023, according to the Commonwealth’s reporting.
Agee encouraged anyone with information about the shooting to contact the Leflore County Sheriff’s Department at 662-453-5141 or him at 662-770-7041. He also referred the public to the Itta Bena Police Department’s Facebook page.
- Contact Tim Kalich at 662-581-7243 or tkalich@gwcommonwealth.com.
