Two of five released in fatal Claiborne County shooting

Published 11:00 am Wednesday, November 21, 2012

Two of five men arrested in a Saturday shooting in Claiborne County that left one man dead and another injured have been released, and the bar where the shooting occurred has been shut down, Sheriff Marvin Lucas said this morning.

Ivory Anderson, 38, of Lorman, was killed and James Evans, 38, 2067 Johnson Road, Hermanville, was wounded when at least three men exchanged gunfire outside Henry Lee’s Place on Bessie Weathers Road west of Port Gibson, Lucas said.

A man arrested an hour after the shooting was released Tuesday morning, Lucas said, because authorities believe his involvement was limited to his trying to get Anderson to a hospital.

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Four men were arrested Monday evening and three remained in custody this morning.

“I detained and questioned them, trying to confirm who was shooting,” Lucas said. “It’s getting clearer, but we’re not quite there yet. We just need to pin down what was going on.”

Lucas said he is awaiting autopsy results to determine which gun killed Anderson. Coroner J.W. Mallett said Anderson died of a single gunshot wound to the right side of his torso. The bullet was taken to the Mississippi Department of Public Safety’s regional crime lab in Jackson for analysis.

“There was a lot of shooting,” Lucas said. “We’ve got .22 and .40 calibers and 9mm.”

Lucas also said he asked club owner, Henry Lee Claiborne, to shut down while authorities continue their investigation.

“I’ve spoken with him and raised my concerns,” Lucas said. “He said he wouldn’t open back up. Maybe down the line we might address it, but that place is going to be closed down right now.”

Lucas noted that Anderson’s death was the third near Henry Lee’s in a decade. In October of 2010, Eric Gusta, 27, of Port Gibson, was found dead at the club with a gunshot wound to the head. Arkieth Baker, also of Port Gibson, was convicted of manslaughter in Gusta’s death. He is serving a 27-year sentence at the Kemper-Neshoba County Correctional Facility.

“There’s no security out there,” Lucas said. “If there’s a problem at that club, we have to take care of it.”

A prayer vigil for Anderson will be held on the steps of the Claiborne County Courthouse at 6 p.m. Friday.