Jackson resident recounts harrowing experience of man firing assault weapon at her car

JACKSON, Miss. (WLBT) – Jackson police are searching for at least four people accused of shooting into occupied cars within the last four days.

One of the two shootings happened at the intersection of Meadowbrook Road and I-55 South Frontage Road, where, as of Tuesday, about 20 shell casings were still in the road.

In a press release sent out Saturday, Jackson Police said a man and two women “indicated they were being followed by a silver Hyundai Sonata when a black male began firing shots into their vehicle. During the shooting, a bullet struck a second vehicle on Meadowbrook Road.”

The woman driving that second vehicle was Jackson resident Emily Story who had a bullet pierce through her tire.

“I was terrified. I was thinking about my mother, I was thinking about my boyfriend, my sister who is in town, my nephews, my stepfather. A lot of things rushed through my mind very fast, but at the same time — when I was actually crouched down in that seat — everything moved in slow motion. It was like the pops got slower even though I knew how fast [the bullets] really were,” Story said.

Story said she was just minding her business as she waited for the traffic light to turn green when, in a matter of seconds, she suddenly began fearing for her life.

“I just saw the AK-47 in his hand, and it was pointing in my direction. I knew at that time I needed to do the only thing I knew to do which was to crunch up into a little ball and try to take up as little space as possible to avoid being hit,” she said.

A few years ago, Story said she moved from Belhaven to a different area of Jackson after a string of car thefts in the area — one of which she fell victim to.

After Friday’s shooting, she said it feels like everywhere she moves, the crime follows.

“It threw me off a lot to know that you could literally just be sitting in your car and not even be in a bad area or out at a bad time of day and still have something like that happen to you,” she said.

“I don’t plan on moving right now. I would like to stay in the city, but it’s starting to get a lot harder to be able to find places where I could have my nephews playing in the front yard and not have to be sitting there hovering,” Story said.

JPD Interim Police Chief Joseph Wade said investigators have identified a person of interest, and they hope to issue a warrant and make an arrest soon.

As for the other investigation, authorities are still looking for three suspects who are accused of shooting into a car in West Jackson on Monday.

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