UPDATE: Tourist describes his family randomly being shot at while leaving Natchez restaurant

Published 11:35 am Friday, April 7, 2023

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NATCHEZ — Four people were inside a motorhome outside La Fiesta restaurant on John R. Junkin Drive late Thursday when a gunman fired at least a dozen rounds at them.

No one was hurt, but photos show the motorhome with bullet holes and shattered windows from the gunfire.

The shooting appears to be random. One of the victims shared on social media that he and his family were just passing through on their way to vacation in Eureka Springs.

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“I felt the bullets pass my face as the window shattered,” Robert Davis shared.

Davis said they stopped in Natchez to eat at the restaurant and had just gotten inside the motorhome and cranked it when he saw movement outside the driver’s window.

The gunman is described as a younger Black male dressed in a black hoodie with possibly short dreadlocks. He was seen on a bicycle riding from the front of Natchez Market #1 around the motorhome before he dropped the bike and started firing.

“… he was about 20 ft from my door, stops, drops the bike, pulls gun from his pocket aims straight at my head and put 3 rounds in my driver’s window,” Davis said.

“I yelled at everyone to get down, lay on the floor, we all hit the floor as he continued shooting as the motorhome was rolling away while we (were) on the floor. I heard the gunshots … this time … coming from the rear of the motorhome I sat up a little and got my foot around the seat to mash the gas to get away. Called 911 pulled over a couple blocks away. Police came we were able to recover a round out of the interior of the motorhome, police went back to the scene, recovered 13 spent rounds from the shooter’s location.”

Davis thanked God no one inside the motorhome was hit.

Natchez Police Chief Cal Green said Thursday night police were called to the scene at approximately 9:40 p.m.

“We are getting video from La Fiesta and from Natchez Market 1,” Green said. “As soon as we have that, we’ll do our best to identify this person and look for him to bring him to justice. … We do have some leads and once we follow those leads the perpetrator will be charged with attempted murder.”

Green said she is floored by the incident.

“People that live here should not be subjected to that, and definitely not people that are just driving through,” she said. “Even though I can’t patrol every person in the city, I can’t apologize enough.”

This story will be updated when more information is available.