Mississippi
Mississippi officers accused of shooting a mother in the head during a car chase
For more than two years, Sherita Harris has been waiting for someone to be held responsible for a bullet that struck her in the head while she rode in the passenger seat of a car in Jackson, Mississippi.
On Friday, the mother of five finally got a sign.
The Mississippi Attorney General’s Office announced that two state police officers have been charged in the shooting, which left her with a partially paralyzed face, permanent memory loss and damaged sight and hearing.
“It’s been so long, I thought they forgot and were going to sweep it under the rug,” Harris, 40, said, her speech halting and slurred from the gunshot wound. “It brings me a little joy.”
Mississippi Capitol Police Officer Michael Rhinewalt and former officer Jeffery Walker were each indicted by a state grand jury on aggravated assault charges, accused of shooting Harris “under circumstances manifesting extreme indifference to the value of human life.” Rhinewalt and Walker were also accused of shooting at Harris’ friend, who was driving. The officers have said they opened fire after the friend, Sinatra Jordan, shot at them during a chase, which Jordan denies.
The indictments were handed down in December; the state Attorney General’s Office announced them Friday afternoon.
Lawyer Scott Gilbert, who is representing Rhinewalt, said in an email that the officer “acted appropriately when he returned fire after being shot at by the suspect” and was confident he would “be vindicated at trial.”
Walker’s lawyer, Francis Springer, said in an email that Walker “maintains his innocence, but must not make any comments before trial.” Walker is also facing federal civil rights charges alleging that he beat a motorist during an arrest in July 2022, a month before Harris’ shooting. He has pleaded not guilty in that case.
Justin Smith, who is representing Harris in a $3 million lawsuit against Mississippi authorities, said he did not expect the news because the state Attorney General’s Office rarely charges police officers in shootings.
“I’m just shocked and surprised the AG’s office took the initiative and they are indicting the officers,” Smith said.
The state Attorney General’s Office said in a statement that it would not comment on the case because it is in “active litigation.”
Sean Tindell, the commissioner of the state Department of Public Safety, which oversees the Capitol Police, said in a statement that Rhinewalt had been placed on unpaid leave pending an internal hearing. Walker, he said, left the Capitol Police in July 2023.
Since Harris’ Aug. 14, 2022, shooting, the Department of Public Safety has created an internal affairs division to independently handle complaints against officers, Tindell said. Capitol Police officers now wear body cameras; Walker and Rhinewalt were not wearing cameras at the time of Harris’ shooting.
Harris has no recollection of getting shot. The last thing she remembers is her friend, Jordan, saying the police were pulling them over. She woke up in a hospital three days later, face torn apart.
The officers, both new hires at the Capitol Police as part of a crackdown on crime in Jackson, said Jordan led them on a chase through downtown after fleeing a traffic stop. Walker testified in a September 2022 hearing that he and Rhinewalt opened fire on the car after Jordan fired at them first. Walker described a rolling gun battle that ended in a residential neighborhood. Walker said he saw objects thrown from the car during the chase but that the items had not been found. Their patrol car was not hit by bullets, he said.
Jordan, who has been held in jail since the incident while awaiting trial on charges of fleeing and aggravated assault on police officers, disputed Walker’s account of how the chase started, the route it took and where shots were fired. In letters and interviews, Jordan has said he didn’t have a gun and did not throw anything from the car. He also said officers beat him up, which was corroborated by a witness interviewed by NBC News. He and his lawyers could not be reached for comment Friday.
After the chase ended and Jordan was arrested, officers searched the car and found no gun, Walker testified. But they did find Harris suffering from a gunshot wound.
The witness previously told NBC News that she heard one of the officers exclaim, “Oh my God, oh my God” after discovering Harris.
Harris said she required surgeries to remove a bullet and repair her left eye and ear. The left side of her face remains partly paralyzed, and she struggles to chew food. She said suffers from depression and PTSD. She gets by with the help of a caregiver and rarely leaves home.
The indictments, Harris said, brought her a bit of relief from her pain.
PEARL, Miss. (WLBT) – Mississippi’s first Dutch Bros is now open in Pearl!
The coffee shop had its grand opening on Wednesday, July 8, around 5 a.m. It is located at 200 Bass Pro Dr.
To celebrate the grand opening, customers can enjoy $3 medium drinks on Wednesday.
Store hours are Sun-Thurs: 5 a.m.- 10 p.m., Fri-Sat: 5 a.m.- 11 p.m.
Dutch Bros now has stores in 26 states.
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Mississippi
Police investigating video of Nolan Wells’ alleged argument on Horn Island before Mississippi teen went missing
MIAMI – Police are said to be investigating a video that allegedly shows a heated argument before Mississippi teen Nolan Xavier Wells went missing and was later found dead – as his grandfather said: “There’s nothing right about this.”
The 18-year-old star football player vanished during a Fourth of July boat trip with friends Saturday and a body which authorities said matched his description was found Monday morning.
Wells was last seen around 3 p.m. Saturday “talking to a girl” at the north end of Horn Island, a popular barrier island about 10 miles off the Mississippi Gulf Coast, the Cajun Navy Jackson County Sheriff’s Department said.
Law enforcement have been looking into a viral clip circulated online which appears to show several people having an “intense” argument near the shoreline, TMZ reported.
It sparked speculation that the tense moment could be connected to Wells’ disappearance.
However, authorities have not confirmed that the footage is authentic or whether the people seen in it have any connection to the college student.
Jackson County Sheriff John Ledbetter said that Wells’ friends had left the island and gone back without him, ABC News reported.
“From what we understand, he chose to stay there,” Ledbetter added.
Ledbetter said in a statement released Tuesday afternoon that officers want to speak with anyone who “observed or heard an argument, disturbance, or other unusual activity while on the island that day.”
Meanwhile, the family of the teen – who played as a wide receiver at Southwest Mississippi Community College – said they were seeking answers.
“Too many unanswered questions — how can a Island that was searched yesterday produce my grandsons body this morning,” his grandfather Christopher Wells Sr. wrote on Facebook on Monday.
“There’s nothing right about this, Nolan Xavier Wells deserved the same things that people he knew and associated with will enjoy in life.”
Wells Sr. later said Wells’ mom Christine and dad Elmore had “prayed for a positive outcome but they also had to prepare themselves for the worst”, adding that “it’s time for answers.”
Photos of the 6-foot-1, 180-pound teen showed him shirtless while sporting blue swim trunks, sunglasses and grinning alongside friends on a boat before he went missing.
The United Cajun Navy non-profit disaster relief organization launched aerial reconnaissance during the search to scour the waters between Horn Island and Ship Island, stretching south to the Chandelier Islands.
The United States Coast Guard, the Mississippi Department of Marine Resources, and the Harrison County Sheriff’s Department also reportedly assisted in the frantic search.
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Staff
Global manufacturing giant Jabil plans to open a massive new production facility in Marshall County, representing a $119 million corporate investment that will create approximately 2,200 jobs North Mississippi, officials announced Tuesday, July 7.
The St. Petersburg, Florida-based company is purchasing and renovating an existing 1.5 million-square-foot facility to support customers in the booming data center infrastructure market.
The expansion comes just nine months after Jabil first entered the Marshall County landscape. In September 2025, the company’s healthcare division announced a separate $70 million investment over three years to establish X-ray sterilization capabilities in the area.
“Investments like this are why Mississippi has one of the hottest job markets in America,” Gov. Tate Reeves said in a statement, noting the quick turnaround between Jabil’s local projects. “Jabil would not be making this investment unless the company was confident that Mississippi and her people can deliver results.”
The Mississippi Development Authority is assisting the project through the Mississippi Flexible Tax Incentive, known as the MFLEX program. Additional support is being provided by Marshall County officials, AccelerateMS and the Tennessee Valley Authority.
Large scale facility is key
State economic leaders emphasized that the scale of the facility positions Mississippi to capitalize on the rapid expansion of digital infrastructure.
“A 1.5-million-square-foot operation producing data center infrastructure isn’t a marginal project,” said Bill Cork, MDA executive director. “It’s proof we are in the game for advanced manufacturing tied to global demand.”
Jabil operates in more than 25 countries with a workforce of 140,000 employees, providing engineering, supply chain and manufacturing solutions across the robotics, automotive, healthcare and energy sectors.
Matt Crowley, Jabil’s executive vice president of global business units for intelligent infrastructure, said domestic capacity is becoming increasingly vital for the industry.
“Companies across the data center ecosystem are looking to build fast, and they’re increasingly looking to build in the United States,” Crowley said.
A timeline for the completion of the renovations and the start of hiring has not yet been disclosed.
Ross Reily is a writer for the Clarion Ledger, part of the USA TODAY Network. He can be reached at rreily@gannett.com or 601-573-2952. You can follow him on the X platform, formerly known as Twitter @GreenOkra1.
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