A Vicksburg man accused of shooting a woman he said tried to steal flower planters from his yard was charged with two counts of aggravated assault Thursday, but said he was fired upon first by the woman and her teenage daughter.

“They fired at least two shots,” said Russell Puckett, 70, 2108 Cherry St.

Puckett was arrested by police who responded to multiple 911 calls of gunshots around 1:35 a.m. in the Cherry and Baum street area.

“I think I got screwed,” he said in a phone interview Thursday afternoon after he was released from the Warren County Jail on a $5,000 bond. “I had every right to defend my home.”

Puckett is accused of firing three shotgun blasts at Carol Clement, 45, and her daughter, Kameron Smith, 19, both of 1315 Baum St., after he said he discovered the two women attempting to steal two planters from his yard. Pellets from one blast struck Clement.

Puckett, who said he’s in poor health, said he noticed the planters had been moved from pedestals on the steps to the bottom of the steps when he was outside his home, also known as the Old Feld Home, around 10 p.m., watching emergency vehicles that were arriving at a neighbor’s home on the corner of Cherry Street on an unrelated call.

“It’s obvious they moved the two planters from their location to the ground,” he said.

Puckett estimated more than $10,000 worth of items have been stolen from his property since May. He has lived in the historic home since 1986.

A former antiques dealer who said he retired because of the recession, Puckett said he believes the two women were also involved in three other thefts. “These people have been stealing from me for months,” he said. “This is the fourth time in several months.”

Vicksburg police Sgt. Sandra Williams said preliminary investigations showed that Puckett reported thefts of tables, outdoor furniture and antique-type items from his yard and garage in May and September. “Reports are still being pulled and not all of our information is complete,” Williams said. She did not believe any of Puckett’s reported thefts involved anything from inside his home.

None of the items have been returned, he said.

Williams said the mother-daughter duo was found by police at River Region Medical Center and that they had made a 911 call to report someone had been shot. Clement was taken to the hospital by private vehicle before police arrived. She remained in fair condition this morning, hospital spokesman Allen Karel said.

No charges have been filed against the two women. Williams said she did not know if either had previous arrests for theft or any other charge. “It’s still very early in the investigation and no criminal histories have been run yet,” she said.

Mississippi has a statute, called the Castle Doctrine, that says use of deadly force can be justified in some circumstances in defense of property.

*

Contact Manivanh Chanprasith at mchan@vicksburgpost.com