Gunfire tore through Tunica's Old Subdivision just after 4 a.m. on Saturday, October 3, striking two homes where senior citizens were living inside. Deputies rushed to the scene near the intersection of Edwards Avenue and Freemont Street after they were called about shots fired. Separately, three young men face felony charges in connection with a September 30 shooting on Sears Avenue.
Deputies Found Homes Riddled With Bullets
When deputies arrived, they found that two residences had been shot into, with senior citizens inside both homes, according to the Tunica County Sheriff's Office. The sheriff's office said investigators collected 90 spent shell casings at the scene, a figure reported by WREG. Action News 5 reported that investigators collected more than 50 spent casings at the separate September 30 Sears Avenue shooting. No one was hurt in the October 3 shooting, WREG reported. A bullet grazed one victim in the September 30 shooting; the injury did not require hospitalization, Action News 5 reported.
Video footage obtained by the sheriff's office showed two individuals connected to the incident, with the footage reportedly showing them lurking between cars and a mobile home before they opened fire, according to WREG's account. The sheriff's office initially sought the public's help identifying those two individuals, offering a $1,000 reward per suspect for information leading to each one's identification. Anyone with information was asked to contact CrimeStoppers at 662-910-0400.
Three Teens Charged With Attempted Murder
By Monday, the sheriff's office had executed arrest warrants for 19-year-old Milton Smith and 18-year-olds Lamarion Smith and Quindarrius Gates in connection with the September 30 Sears Avenue shooting, per Action News 5's reporting. Each of the three faces five counts of attempted murder, one count of shooting into a dwelling, and one count of unlawful discharge of a firearm within a populated area, the station reported. The sheriff's office also said it will seek enhanced charges related to the October 3 shooting, in which senior citizens were inside the homes.
The investigation remains active and ongoing, according to the same Action News 5 report. The sheriff's office noted the case in a public-assistance release posted on its website on Tuesday.
Part of a Wider Spike in Gunfire
The Old Subdivision shooting lands amid what local leaders describe as a troubling climb in violence across the small county. Sheriff K.C. Hamp said Tunica's homicide average has grown from roughly one per year a few years ago to about four per year more recently, and that 2026 could be on track to exceed that average, according to WREG. Tunica County is home to roughly 9,000 people, the same report noted.
Separately, FOX 13 Memphis reported that at least six people were shot in less than three days across multiple locations in the county, with the sheriff's office saying the shootings may be gang retaliation. Five people were arrested in connection with that broader string of shootings, including one person from Memphis, the outlet reported, and three Memphis men — Antonio Allen, Mylon Done and Darrius Robinson — were taken into custody after a Prichard Road shooting that turned into a chase before they were released on bond. WREG also reported that three teens were charged with five counts of attempted murder each in connection with a separate September 30 shooting in the Old Subdivision.
