Man doused, burned with gasoline is critical but stable
A Gulfport man was charged with aggravated assault in connection with an attack on a man who was set on fire at a Hattiesburg home.
Around 1 a.m. Saturday, Hattiesburg police officers were dispatched to Forrest General Hospital, 6051 U.S. 49, in reference to a man suffering from burns.
The incident allegedly occurred in the 500 block of Ruby Avenue. On arrival, officers spoke with the male victim, who said two men had been at the residence where they allegedly poured gasoline on the victim and set the man on fire, Hattiesburg police spokesman Lt. Jon Traxler said. The victim called a relative, who took him to the hospital.
Kunta Kidd, 39, was arrested early Thursday morning in connection with the incident. He was booked into Forrest County Jail, where he is awaiting his initial court appearance. Police are still looking for a second suspect, who has not yet been identified.
The victim was listed in critical but stable condition as of Thursday afternoon.
The incident is one of several unrelated crimes that took place over the weekend.
Around 4 a.m. Sunday, Hattiesburg police were dispatched to Club VIP, 1715 Country Club Road, in reference to shots being fired.
When officers arrived, they found several people in the parking lot. Two vehicles appeared to be damaged from gunshots.
Traxler said one person said he or she was inside a vehicle when the shooting started but was not injured, although several bullets struck the vehicle. One person went to a local hospital later, saying a bullet had grazed him or her during the shooting. The injury was not considered life threatening.
On Saturday afternoon, a Hattiesburg woman was arrested and charged with aggravated domestic violence after allegedly assaulting her ex-boyfriend by trying to run over him with a vehicle. Zinora Chanque Walton, 26, was arrested at the scene and booked into the Forrest County Jail in connection to the incident. She was released Monday from Forrest County Jail on her own recognizance.
Also on Saturday, a man was attacked around lunchtime in the 2400 block of West Fourth Street. The victim told police he was walking through the parking lot when he was approached by a man who began to assault him, Traxler said.
The man took the victim's cellphone before fleeing.
Earlier Saturday, police arrested three men in connection with an armed robbery that occurred shortly after midnight at Campus Edge Apartments, 105 Doleac Drive.
Michael Dewayne Williams Jr., 20, Cedrick Moffett, 22, and Devonski Deonterrion Lemons, 19, all of Hattiesburg, were each charged with two counts of armed robbery and one count of criminal street gang activity. They were booked into Forrest County Jail, where they remain in lieu of $120,000 bond each. Lemons was out on bond for a previous felony charge of possessing a stolen firearm. That bond was revoked.
The investigations into these crimes are ongoing. Anyone with information about any of these incidents is asked to call Hattiesburg Police Department at (601) 544-7900 or Metro Crime Stoppers at (601) 582-STOP (7867).