Man killed after reported home invasion in Byhalia

(WMC) - A man is dead after a reported home invasion outside of Byhalia, Miss. late Wednesday night.

Investigators say a woman inside the house called 911 to report two armed men had forced their way into the home where she was with her mother Betty Sholar, her brother, and a sleeping child.

Sholar said the two men knocked at the door and said he knew a mutual friend in order to gain their trust.

"They said that their car had run hot, and they wanted some water to put in the car," Sholar said.

She said when she went to let the men in, she saw one of them reach in his pocket and pull out a gun.

"I was trying to close the door back up, he kept pushing me back," Sholar continued. "The big dude, he came and held me around my neck and had the gun and told me to get on the floor."

According to detectives, Sholar's daughter was somehow able to call another man before calling the sheriff's department for help. Major Kelly McMillen says it appears the man she called took the law into his own hands and shot one of the suspects when he arrived at the house.

McMillen says the man also called 911 and was on the phone with the dispatcher when shots rang out.

"We talked to a male subject who was basically exchanging gunfire with a subject during the 911 call, which led us to that guy because obviously he relayed his name and everything to the dispatcher on the scene," McMillen said.

The suspected shooter's name is Antonio Brown from Byhalia.

When deputies got to the home on St. Paul Road, one of the home invasion suspects had been shot and the other had taken off.

A medical helicopter took the injured suspect to Region One in Memphis, where he was pronounced dead. McMillen identified him as 22-year-old Clarence Richmond.

The man Sholar's daughter called for help faces charges for being a felon in possession of a firearm, according to District Attorney Ben Creekmore. He's being held at the Marshall County Jail.

Creekmore said his office will work with investigators to determine if murder charges are applicable. Detectives have asked nearby agencies in DeSoto County to be on the lookout for the second suspect in the home invasion.

"The second potential suspect that left the scene is driving a green Nissan pickup, and is possibly from the Olive Branch area," McMillen said.

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