Sheriff: Simpson County standoff ends with 2 dead; teen in custody – WAPT

Two people were found dead and a 17-year-old was taken into custody after an hours-long standoff in Simpson County that began when a deputy was shot while responding to a welfare check, according to Simpson County Sheriff Paul Mullins.
The incident began shortly before 12:30 p.m. Wednesday when deputies responded to a home on W.L. Blair Road near Mendenhall after relatives reported they had been unable to contact the homeowners. The Mississippi Bureau of Investigation said when the deputies arrived, they realized it was a burglary in progress when they saw the front door was open.
Mullins said a 17-year-old Black male opened fire on deputies from inside the residence, striking one deputy. The deputy was treated for his injuries and released.
The shooting sparked a large law enforcement response involving the Rankin County Sheriff’s Office, Mississippi Highway Patrol, SWAT teams and several other agencies.
During the standoff, authorities initially believed there may have been a second suspect inside the home. Rankin County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Tyler Burnell told reporters that information gathered during negotiations indicated two people could be inside.
However, Mullins said investigators later determined there was only one suspect.
Mullins said the sole suspect, 17-year-old Cordarius Hobbs, said there was a second person to get the “heat off of him.”
Hobbs was eventually taken into custody, ending the standoff. Hobbs is being held at the Rankin County Detention Center. Burnell said because of a new law requiring underage offenders to be seen by a judge within six hours of arrest, Hobbs has likely already seen a Simpson County judge virtually. The charges were not immediately released.
The Simpson County Sheriff’s Office said the two people found dead are believed to be the homeowners. Authorities have not released their identities or said how they died.
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