AP and staff reports

Tuesday, October 09, 2001

The Natchez Democrat

LORMAN – An Alcorn State University football player was shot

to death when he confronted &uot;joyriders&uot; on campus, Claiborne

County Sheriff Frank Davis said Tuesday.

JeKelcy Lee Johnson, 20, identified as a freshman linebacker

from Port Gibson, died from a gunshot wound in the head following

the 11:30 p.m. confrontation outside Men’s Tower on the Lorman

campus, Davis said.

&uot;We had four guys come on campus from Natchez. They made

some statements to a young lady that she didn’t like, and two

students came to her rescue and were shot. JeKelcy Johnson was

killed,&uot; Davis said.

Johnson died at Claiborne County Hospital, county Coroner J.W.

Mallett said Tuesday.

Alcorn State spokesman Ralph Payne described the mood on campus

Tuesday as &uot;very sober&uot; and said counseling would be

made available to students as soon as possible.

Davis said a second student was wounded in the Monday night

shootings. Four people were being held for questioning Tuesday

afternoon. But Chief Deputy Frederick Yarbrough would not name

them because they had not been charged.

Neither Yarbrough nor Davis could be reached for comment Tuesday

night, and personnel at the Claiborne County Sheriff’s Office

would not release information regarding the case.

The other student, Roddel Devoual, 20, was shot in the side,

the sheriff said. Devoual was in stable condition Tuesday at the

University of Mississippi Medical Center in Jackson, hospital

officials said. Payne said the four people being held were non-students

who were &uot;joyriding&uot; on the campus.

&uot;One of them, I understand, threw a bottle, and it injured

a female student,&uot; Payne said. &uot;That’s when JeKelcy

got involved and, tragically, was shot.&uot;

Davis said charges are pending against the four.

&uot;We are still investigating and taking statements,&uot;

Davis said. &uot;We’ll be talking to the district attorney about

charges.&uot;

The student hit by the bottle apparently was taken to Claiborne

County Hospital but there was no record of her requiring hospitalization.