Vicksburg 14-year-old charged in shooting death of 11-year-old

Published 1:51 pm Wednesday, June 9, 2021

Correction: Vicksburg Police Department initially reported that Thomas Hardman was charged with second-degree murder. After further confirmation, it was discovered that Hardman was charged with manslaughter-culpable negligence.

A 14-year-old has been charged with the shooting death of an 11-year-old male.

Thomas Hardman, 14 of Vicksburg, has been charged with manslaughter, culpable negligence. The Vicksburg Police Department identified the victim as Rashawn Wilbert.

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Hardman appeared before Judge Allen Derivaux in Vicksburg Municipal Court on June 9, where his bond was set at $150,000 and he was bound over to the Warren County Grand Jury.

Although Hardman is a minor, he is being charged as an adult.

“There is no juvenile second-degree murder in Mississippi,” Vicksburg Police Department Capt. Mike Bryant said.

Bryant later confirmed to The Post that the charge initially reported was incorrect and that Hardman’s new charge was manslaughter-culpable negligence.

He confirmed that Hardman and the victim were cousins and that two other family members were present at the time of the shooting.

At 7:56 p.m. on June 8, officers of VPD and personnel from the Vicksburg Fire Department were dispatched to an address on Elizabeth Circle for shooting. Inside the residence, they found an 11-year-old male suffering from a gunshot wound to his chest. He was later pronounced dead at the scene.

At the time, it appeared that the shooting was accidental, a statement from VPD said.

This is a developing story. More updates will be published as they become available.