Mississippi

Carjacking Casts Harsh Spotlight on Jackson, Mississippi Crime

Published

2 years ago

May 30, 2024

Carjacking Casts Harsh Spotlight on Jackson, Mississippi Crime

A “descent into dystopia” is how one Jackson, Mississippi resident describes the violent crime, carjackings, and shootings that have been plaguing the city in recent years.

Disturbing new video footage caught on a Ring doorbell camera on Friday shows a Jackson family being attacked and carjacked in their driveway. A mom, her kids and her grandkids were held at gunpoint, pulled out of the car, and even shot at as two suspects — yet to be caught by the police — stole a car and fled.

Fortunately, no one was seriously injured and the stolen car was later recovered. But the mom in the video, Heather Allen, told WAPT that her family plans to move out of the area after the shocking incident, despite only living there for three months.

The Jackson Police department has since said they have identified two persons of interest, and released a surveillance image of a man they believe is connected to the crime.

“It shows you the mindset of the individuals here that we are dealing with,” Chief Joseph Wade told WAPT, Jackson’s Hearst-owned ABC affiliate, of the carjacking video. “They are bold and brave and they will do whatever it takes to commit these criminal acts, and we are going to be just as bold and brave to bring them to justice and hold them accountable for their actions.”

Carjackings such as the one on Friday have becoming commonplace in Jackson, the only difference with this one being that it was caught on video.

“Sadly, this is now an everyday occurrence in Jackson,” the president of the Mississippi Center for Public Policy, Douglas Carswell, who lives and works in downtown Jackson, tells the Sun. “Just last week, someone was murdered at the park where I play tennis,” he says, adding that shootings are a “regular occurrence” in Mississippi’s capital city.

Carjacking victim Heather Allen tells WAPT she plans to leave Jackson after only three months after the traumatic experience. WAPT

Jackson, Mississippi police have released this surveillance image of a man suspected of being involved in the terrifying carjacking. Jackson Police Department

Jackson has outsized violent crime numbers for its population of nearly 150,000 residents. In 2023, there were 118 homicides in Jackson, a WLBT analysis found, and though the numbers decreased from the previous year, following a national trend post-Covid, Jackson nonetheless tops other major cities for killings per capita, that report found.

“Jackson now has one of the highest per capita homicide rates in the country, higher than Memphis, higher than Baltimore, higher than Detroit,” Mr. Carswell says. “Tragically it’s an everyday thing.”

Jackson’s murder rates were “significantly lower” in 2013 but a “dysfunctional city government” has created major crime issues for the city, he adds.

“In the past 10 or 15 years, Jackson has been a story of a descent into dysfunction,” Mr. Carswell says, adding that more than a policing issue, there is a “prosecution problem” in Hinds County, where Jackson is located.

The capital building at Jackson, Mississippi, at night. Getty Images

The Hinds County district attorney, Jody Owens, has been rocked by turmoil, most recently by an FBI raid of his cigar bar. Office of the Hinds County District Attorney

The county’s Soros-backed district attorney, Jody Owens, has been rocked by turmoil during his time on the campaign and on the job, including allegations of sexual harassment and accusations that he pulled a gun on a man in an apartment — claims he denied at the time — and most recently, an FBI raid of his cigar bar. His office did not respond to a request from the Sun for comment on the recent Jackson carjacking and whether he intends to prosecute the perpetrators should they be apprehended.

Over the past several years, Mr. Carswell says criminals took advantage of the justice system not “functioning properly,” but that the crime rates are slowly beginning to decline as the state government steps in.

The state has been extending the purview of the Capitol Police, who used to stay primarily around the Capitol building, to police about one-third of the city, he says, adding that the areas they police have seen crime go down “dramatically.”

“Where crime is under control in the city, the neighborhoods run by the Capitol Police, you’re starting to see people moving back in,” Mr. Carswell says. “ But crime is definitely a big factor in pushing people out of those parts of the city that aren’t run by the Capitol Police.”

Jackson’s murder rate is worse than crime-ridden cities such as Baltimore and Memphis. WAPT

The expansion of the Capitol Police was the subject of pushback last year, as some in the majority-Black city saw the increased state police presence as trampling on local control and unfairly targeting Black residents. The city has largely “moved beyond” those racial tensions, Mr. Carswell says, as “quite a lot of the city lawmakers and representatives who used to criticize expansion of the capital base, are now criticizing them for not policing the whole of the city.”

Earlier this year, Mississippi’s governor, Tate Reeves, announced a “major public safety operation” in Jackson aimed at “surging” local, state, and federal law enforcement into the city in an attempt to tackle the violent crime epidemic.

The governor’s office and the Jackson Police Department did not immediately return a request from the Sun for comment on how those operations are proceeding so far.

Even with more state resources and local policing, without more prosecutions, the violent crime will continue to plague Jackson, Mr. Carswell notes.

“Having a D.A. who’s soft on crime, I think has been a real problem,” he says. “And there’s only so much the police can do until we’ve got an effective D.A. in Jackson.”

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Mississippi

Mississippi Lottery Mississippi Match 5, Cash 3 results for Dec. 23, 2025

Published

9 hours ago

December 24, 2025

Press Room

Mississippi Lottery Mississippi Match 5, Cash 3 results for Dec. 23, 2025

The Mississippi Lottery offers several draw games for those aiming to win big. Here’s a look at Dec. 23, 2025, results for each game:

Winning Mississippi Match 5 numbers from Dec. 23 drawing

04-10-12-20-23

Check Mississippi Match 5 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Cash 3 numbers from Dec. 23 drawing

Midday: 5-1-5, FB: 1

Evening: 4-6-9, FB: 2

Check Cash 3 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Cash 4 numbers from Dec. 23 drawing

Midday: 0-2-8-7, FB: 1

Evening: 4-3-6-6, FB: 2

Check Cash 4 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Cash Pop numbers from Dec. 23 drawing

Midday: 13

Evening: 13

Check Cash Pop payouts and previous drawings here.

Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results

Story continues below gallery.

Are you a winner? Here’s how to claim your lottery prize

Winnings of $599 or less can be claimed at any authorized Mississippi Lottery retailer.

Prizes between $600 and $99,999, may be claimed at the Mississippi Lottery Headquarters or by mail. Mississippi Lottery Winner Claim form, proper identification (ID) and the original ticket must be provided for all claims of $600 or more. If mailing, send required documentation to:

Mississippi Lottery Corporation

P.O. Box 321462

Flowood, MS

39232

If your prize is $100,000 or more, the claim must be made in person at the Mississippi Lottery headquarters. Please bring identification, such as a government-issued photo ID and a Social Security card to verify your identity. Winners of large prizes may also have the option of setting up electronic funds transfer (EFT) for direct deposits into a bank account.

Mississippi Lottery Headquarters

1080 River Oaks Drive, Bldg. B-100

Flowood, MS

39232

Mississippi Lottery prizes must be claimed within 180 days of the drawing date. For detailed instructions and necessary forms, please visit the Mississippi Lottery claim page.

When are the Mississippi Lottery drawings held?

Cash 3: Daily at 2:30 p.m. (Midday) and 9:30 p.m. (Evening).
Cash 4: Daily at 2:30 p.m. (Midday) and 9:30 p.m. (Evening).
Match 5: Daily at 9:30 p.m. CT.
Cash Pop: Daily at 2:30 p.m. (Midday) and 9:30 p.m. (Evening).

This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a Mississippi editor. You can send feedback using this form.

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Mississippi

East Mississippi running back Gavin Griffin selected to 2025 NJCAA All-America First Team – Meridian Star

Published

21 hours ago

December 23, 2025

Press Room

East Mississippi running back Gavin Griffin selected to 2025 NJCAA All-America First Team

Published 12:08 pm Tuesday, December 23, 2025

East Mississippi Community College running back Gavin Griffin has added to his list of 2025 season accomplishments by being named to this year’s NJCAA Division I Football All-America First Team. The National Junior College Athletic Association announced the organization’s first-team, second-team and honorable-mention football selections on Dec. 20.

As an NJCAA All-Region 23 honoree as well as being the MACCC North Division’s Offensive Player of the Year recipient this season, Griffin’s most recent honor gives East Mississippi’s football program a total of 36 NJCAA All-America selections during the past 18 seasons under the guidance of NJCAA Football Coaches Association Hall of Fame head coach Buddy Stephens. Dating back to the 2008 season, the EMCC Lions have had at least one NJCAA All-American in football during 13 of the past 18 years.

In becoming EMCC’s 15th first-team NJCAA All-American dating back to 2008, Griffin helped lead the Lions to a 7-3 overall record and 5-1 MACCC North Division mark while earning the program’s 12th division crown and 15th conference playoff appearance during the Stephens coaching era.

A Troy University signee, Griffin was twice selected as the NJCAA and MACCC Offensive Player of the Week this season while topping the NJCAA Division I statistical leaders with 22 rushing touchdowns and ranking second nationally with 1,168 rushing yards. With six 100-yard rushing outings on the year, Griffin’s top performances on the ground included a career-high 220 rushing yards and four touchdowns in 22 attempts during EMCC’s 49-27 home win over Pearl River. He also had 189 rushing yards and three scores in 23 carries during the Lions’ 34-28 road victory at Northwest Mississippi.

With at least one rushing touchdown in all 10 games this past season, Griffin had seven contests with multiple scoring runs, including an additional four-touchdown effort in EMCC’s 50-39 home win over Holmes. During the Stephens coaching era at EMCC, Griffin’s 134 total points scored and 22 touchdown runs this season rank second behind Tyrell Price’s NJCAA-leading 24 rushing touchdowns and 150 points scored during the Lions’ 2017 national championship season.

On EMCC’s single-season statistical leaders list during the Stephens era, Griffin’s 1,168 rushing yards in 10 games played rank third behind 2025 EMCC Sports Hall of Fame inductee Rod Moore (1,303 in 2011) and Lakenderic Thomas (1,334 in 2013), who both had the advantage of playing two additional games during EMCC’s respective national championship seasons. Griffin’s 207 rushing attempts this season are the most by an EMCC player during the Stephens era, breaking the mark of 200 carries previously held by second-team NJCAA All-American Deon McIntosh during the Lions’ 2018 national championship season.

For his two EMCC seasons, Griffin’s 1,722 career rushing yards rank third behind Thomas (1,724) and Moore (2,211), while his 30 career rushing touchdowns tie Price for the most during the Stephens era. Along with the 66 points that Griffin scored (8 rush TDs and 3 TD catches) as an EMCC freshman in 2024, the 2023 MHSAA Class 1A Mr. Football out of Velma Jackson High School became just the second EMCC player of the Stephens era to reach 200 career points scored.

EMCC’s 35 NJCAA All-America players under Stephens’ leadership are divided among 18 offensive performers, 15 defensive honorees and two special teams players. Leading the way positionally for EMCC dating back to 2008, the Lions have had 10 All-America quarterback selections, including NJCAA Offensive Player of the Year recipients Ty Keyes (2023) and Bo Wallace (2011) as well as two-time All-America signal-caller Randall Mackey (2008 & 2009). On the defensive side of the football during the Stephens coaching era, the Lions have featured eight All-America defensive linemen, headlined by 12-year NFL veteran Denico Autry (2011) of the Houston Texans and recently retired 11-year NFL standout Za’Darius Smith (2012).

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Mississippi

Mississippi Lottery Mississippi Match 5, Cash 3 results for Dec. 22, 2025

Published

1 day ago

December 23, 2025

Press Room

The Mississippi Lottery offers several draw games for those aiming to win big. Here’s a look at Dec. 22, 2025, results for each game:

Winning Mississippi Match 5 numbers from Dec. 22 drawing

20-21-22-24-25

Check Mississippi Match 5 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Cash 3 numbers from Dec. 22 drawing

Midday: 1-8-7, FB: 3

Evening: 9-1-4, FB: 1

Check Cash 3 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Cash 4 numbers from Dec. 22 drawing

Midday: 0-6-1-7, FB: 3

Evening: 1-2-4-0, FB: 1

Check Cash 4 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Cash Pop numbers from Dec. 22 drawing

Midday: 13

Evening: 11

Check Cash Pop payouts and previous drawings here.

Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results

Story continues below gallery.

Are you a winner? Here’s how to claim your lottery prize

Winnings of $599 or less can be claimed at any authorized Mississippi Lottery retailer.

Mississippi Lottery Corporation

P.O. Box 321462

Flowood, MS

39232

Mississippi Lottery Headquarters

1080 River Oaks Drive, Bldg. B-100

Flowood, MS

39232

Mississippi Lottery prizes must be claimed within 180 days of the drawing date. For detailed instructions and necessary forms, please visit the Mississippi Lottery claim page.

When are the Mississippi Lottery drawings held?

Cash 3: Daily at 2:30 p.m. (Midday) and 9:30 p.m. (Evening).
Cash 4: Daily at 2:30 p.m. (Midday) and 9:30 p.m. (Evening).
Match 5: Daily at 9:30 p.m. CT.
Cash Pop: Daily at 2:30 p.m. (Midday) and 9:30 p.m. (Evening).

This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a Mississippi editor. You can send feedback using this form.

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