JACKSON, MS – A local media outlet’s open records request regarding a Jackson Police Department rifle that was reportedly stolen and used in a triple homicide this past June has been stalled by city officials, with the City of Jackson reportedly saying they need additional time to accommodate the open records request.
To date, four suspects have been arrested in connection with a triple homicide that occurred on June 27th that claimed the lives of two women identified as 25-year-old Keyana Weathersby and 30-year-old Erica Weathersby along with Keyana’s 2-year-old son, Camari.
While the four suspects charged in connection with what authorities say were targeted, execution-style killings await their day in court, questions remain regarding a stolen Jackson Police Department rifle reportedly used in the murders.
Jackson Police Chief RaShall Brackney confirmed during a July 3rd press conference related to the triple homicide investigation that a rifle stolen from a marked unit was used during the killings.
Few details have been afforded regarding the originating theft, with officials noting the Jackson Police officer was a member of the SWAT team and the theft had occurred a few weeks prior to the murders.
Local ABC news outlet 16 WAPT submitted an open records request seeking the Jackson Police Department’s policies surrounding weapons storage and vehicle use, alongside requests detailing firearm and vehicle assignments of officers as well as reports of department-issued firearm and vehicle thefts with any accompanying video surveillance footage of said incidents.
According to the Mississippi Public Records Act, a “public body” must furnish requested public records no “later than seven (7) working days from the date of the receipt of the request for the production of the record,” which said timeframe has since lapsed.
City officials reportedly informed the news outlet they needed additional time to review the requested records to ascertain whether any sought records are exempt from disclosure, as well as additional time needed to locate the requested documentation.
The state’s public records act does allow for extensions to the outlined seven-day period, so long as the entity can provide “written explanation to the person making the request stating that the record requested will be produced and specifying with particularity why the records cannot be produced within the seven-day period.”
Mayor John Horhn and Police Chief Brackney have confirmed the unnamed officer remains under an internal investigation regarding the theft of the department-issued firearm, emphasizing the individual could face disciplinary action following the completion of the investigation.
The aforementioned stolen firearm was reportedly one of many that had been burgled from marked Jackson Police vehicles in recent months that were parked at various apartment complexes within the city.
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