Police say body found in Mississippi may be suspect shot in attempted home invasion

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An 18-year-old who was found dead in a backyard in Moss Point, Mississippi this week may have been involved in a nearby attempted home invasion, according to authorities.

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A woman discovered Jayrell Cox in her yard on the morning of September 22nd, but police in the Gulf Coast community didn’t publicly connect the discovery with the robbery attempt until this week.

Police report that a homeowner in the same neighborhood found two armed men under his carport while exiting his house. When the two men tried to enter the home by force, the homeowner and the two armed suspects reportedly exchanged gunfire. The two suspects fled on foot, according to the homeowner. The homeowner told police that he did not know if he had shot either one of the suspects.

The next morning, Cox was found in the backyard of a nearby home.

According to Magnolia State Live, Cox’s death is now being investigated as part of that home invasion. While the results of the investigation will be turned over to a grand jury for possible charges, by all accounts the homeowner was well within his rights to defend himself and his home from the armed intruders.

In fact, this is the second attempted home invasion in two months that has resulted in a fatality in the small Mississippi town, though the robbery attempt last month ended with the resident shot and killed.

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Chief Ashley says the incident happened on Ruby Street in Moss Point around 11:45 p.m. He says it resulted in the death of 27-year-old Kevin Harvey.

Chief Ashley says preliminary investigation leads investigators to believe the incident started as an attempted home invasion, when the unknown suspects failed to gain entry. They then began firing an unknown type of rife through the door, striking Harvey several times.

Chief Ashley says investigators believe this is an isolated incident. He says the residence was targeted for an unknown reason.

The sites of those two home invasions are less than five miles from each other. So far police haven’t publicly connected the two incidents, though police apparently haven’t made any arrests in Harvey’s death. Reports at the time indicate that, just as in last week’s attempted home invasion, multiple assailants targeted the victim’s home, but for the moment anyway there’s authorities haven’t released any evidence that would indicate the same suspects were responsible for both crimes.
With multiple home invasions taking place in the small town, I hope that residents are waking up to the reality that they too could be the target of these violent predators, who clearly have no compunction in taking an innocent life in pursuit of the property behind locked doors. A home security system or a doorbell camera may be of benefit, but when shots are fired an alarm system can’t shoot back, and by the time police arrive the suspects are likely to be long gone. Video surveillance could provide officers with leads, but it won’t deter every home invader or armed robber. Being able to fight back in self-defense is a necessity, and with two headline-grabbing attacks in two months the good people of Moss Point have had a couple of painful reminders of the importance of our Second Amendment rights.
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