UPDATE: One person in custody after overnight shooting, main suspect on run

Published 4:03 pm Friday, May 9, 2025

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NATCHEZ — A woman suspected of driving the vehicle from which shots were fired, injuring another woman around the midnight hour Friday, has been captured.

Meanwhile, Phillip Xavier Stokes Jr., 19, who is suspected of shooting, is still at large, Natchez Police Department Investigator Jerry Ford said.

Ford said the shooting happened after midnight Friday on Lafayette Street during what police believe was a domestic dispute.

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Ford said the shooting resulted in “serious” injury to a woman.

Police arrested Willeshia Williams and charged her with accessory after the fact of attempted murder. Phillip Xavier Stokes Jr., 19, is wanted by NPD for attempted murder related to the incident.

Police believe Stokes was in a car that drove by a house where the victim was on the porch, then drove away and came back a second time. The second time, the car stopped and shots were fired, Ford said.

The investigation of this incident is still ongoing, Ford added.

Anyone with information should contact the Natchez Police Department or leave an anonymous tip by calling Crime Stoppers at 888-442-5001.