A Vicksburg man was shot and killed Wednesday evening in a Vicksburg shopping center parking lot by what Vicksburg Police Chief Milton Moore called “his female friend.”

Shortly after 5:30 p.m., first responders were dispatched to the 2100 block of Clay Street, behind Boston Fish Supreme, for a report of a man shot in the chest.

Moore confirmed that a male, identified as Christopher Johnson, 37, of Vicksburg, was shot and killed and that a female suspect is in custody. He said the woman, identified as 35-year-old Talisha Butler, contacted authorities shortly after the shooting to report she had shot Johnson.

Moore was then contacted and met Butler, who was a passenger in a car, on Washington Street. From there, she was taken to the Vicksburg Police Department, where she was interviewed and later charged with murder.

Thursday, Judge Angela Carpenter set Butler’s bond at $500,000 and bound her case over to the Warren County Grand Jury. She is currently being held in the Warren County Jail.

Two additional people were questioned about Wednesday’s shooting but were released later Wednesday night. Police officials said those individuals would not face any charges.

When first responders arrived at the scene, they found Johnson in the parking lot, on the ground next to a vehicle. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

While crime scene investigators and detectives worked to document the scene, members of Johnson’s family rushed to the area. At one point, a person identified as Johnson’s brother broke through the police tape surrounding the scene and had to be restrained by police officers. Later, Johnson’s mother arrived and was seen meeting with Moore.

 

Vicksburg Post photographer Courtland Wells contributed to this report.