Troopers kill Miss. triple slaying suspect
A man suspected in a Mother’s Day triple homicide in Mississippi was shot and killed Monday in a shoot-out with Arizona state troopers, authorities said.
Ivory James Welch III was declared dead at the scene of the shooting on U.S. 191 in Greenlee County, located in southeastern Arizona.
Troopers who recognized Welch’s vehicle tried to pull him over.
When Welch exited the vehicle, he pulled out a firearm, prompting troopers to fatally shoot him, according to a news release from the Arizona Department of Public Safety.
Here’s what we know about Welch’s death and the triple homicide in which he was suspected.
Welch accused of shooting mother, two sisters
Welch was on the run after authorities identified him as the man suspected of killing his mother and two sisters Sunday in Mississippi.
Police were called around 3:30 p.m. on Mother’s Day to a home in Ridgeland, located about 12 miles north of the Mississippi capital of Jackson, according to the Clarion-Ledger, a USA TODAY Network publication.
The three people who were found dead inside the home later were identified as Welch’s family members, the ClarionLedger reported, citing a news release from Ridgeland police.
The victims included: Ida Thomas Welch, 76; Vicky Renee Welch, 56; and Crystal Lynn Welch, 42. All three of the women had sustained fatal gunshot wounds, police said.
Authorities have not identified a motive for the shooting.
The Mississippi Bureau of Investigation is helping the Ridgeland Police Department in the investigation, according to the Clarion-Ledger.
Arizona troopers shoot Welch dead in ‘gunfight’
U.S. Marshals began a manhunt for Welch after obtaining a warrant for his arrest in the three homicides, according to the Arizona Republic, a USA TODAY Network publication.
But it was Arizona state troopers who reportedly encountered the fugitive first.
The state’s public safety department was notified around 7:30 a.m. Monday about a potential sighting of Welch and his vehicle in Safford, an area in Graham County near Arizona’s border with New Mexico, according to a news release.
Authorities reported locating Welch shortly after 10 a.m. about 40 miles from Safford on U.S. 191 between the Greenlee County towns of Morenci and Clifton.
Troopers stopped Welch’s vehicle, but when they attempted to take him into custody “he fired upon the troopers and was fatally wounded in the gunfight,” according to a news release from Ridgeland police provided to the Republic.
No troopers were injured in the shooting.
“This investigation is a great example of how teamwork in law enforcement, as well as a great relationship with our media outlets, affords us swift justice for a grieving family,” Ridgeland Police Chief Brian Myers said in a statement to the Clarion-Ledger.
“This horrific event will have a lasting effect on this family, the officers involved in this investigation as well as our brothers in Arizona law enforcement.”