Bad: Highway Killer in Southaven, MS (where i live)
As they search for suspects in two highway killings, authorities in northwest Mississippi are urging drivers to use caution when approached by any vehicle with flashing blue lights. Investigators said Monday that two people shot along highways may have been killed by someone who posed as a police officer and pulled them over late at night. DeSoto County Sheriff Bill Rasco says efforts are focused on keeping motorists safe while investigators chase leads that are pouring in. He said many tips involve suspicious vehicles. So far there have been no arrests.
Rasco says motorists can call 911 if they are being pulled over. He said agencies can quickly determine whether they have vehicles in the area and dispatch help if needed. "We are telling motorists to be aware of everything around them and any time they are being pulled over to go to a safe location where there are lots of lights and where people are around, if possible, and always call 911," Rasco said Wednesday.
"Our unmarked vehicles also are not doing any traffic stops. If they spot a vehicle that needs to be stopped they will call in and we'll send a marked vehicle. We have extra patrols out to keep our citizens safe," the sheriff said.The assistant manager of a truck stop along the interstate where one victim was found said the shootings have been a topic of discussion among the employees — many of whom must drive the stretch of highway to get home. "Myself and a couple of other female employees here are concerned, especially for those getting off a night and driving home," Sunny Hall said. Hall, 28, said few customers coming through the Kangaroo Express on Interstate 55 in Senatobia, Miss., discuss the shootings unless someone brings it up. Then talk turns to the precautions that law enforcement is asking people to take. The business is located about 15 miles south of where one of the shootings occurred. Rasco and Highway Patrol spokesman Warren Strain say law enforcement agencies are not looking for any particular make of vehicle even though many tips have centered on the Ford Crown Victoria, the workhorse of law enforcement. Investigators say they are looking into whether someone posing as a law enforcement officer stopped the cars because of the circumstances of the killings, though they have no evidence to back that theory up. "There are only two people who could tell us about that and unfortunately, we cannot talk to them," Rasco said. Strain said the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation is processing evidence."We have gotten hundreds of calls and each one has to get its due attention as you would expect," Strain said. Investigators were not releasing many details, including whether they believe a single gunman is responsible or what type of weapon was used. They said at a press conference Monday that the shootings so far are linked by their general similarity — both victims were found shot to death after pulling their cars off the road late at night. Shell casings found at both scenes are being analyzed. Thomas Schlender, 74, of Raymond, Neb., was found in his car on Interstate 55 in Panola County on May 8 about 1:30 a.m. Three days later, Lori Anne Carswell, 48, of Hernando, was found near her car on Mississippi Highway 713 in nearby Tunica County about 2:15 a.m. Carswell had just left work from Fitzgerald's Casino in Tunica County, authorities said. The interstate is more heavily traveled than the state highway where Carswell was found, but neither area is heavily populated. Neither car appeared to have had mechanical problems, said Strain. Carswell's 1997 Pontiac Grand Am was found on the shoulder of the highway, but her body was found in the road near the intersection of Mississippi Highway 713 and Interstate 69. She was returning home to nearby Hernando from work, police said.Schlender's body was found in his car, which crashed into a divider in the median. He was alone in the 1999 Ford F-150 and no other motorists were hurt. He was driving from Nebraska to Florida to pick up his grandson, authorities said.
Good: Ride for fallen riders
HERNANDO — The slow procession from the historic DeSoto County Courthouse looked similar to a funeral cortege and Hernando Bicycle Club spokesman Bo McAninch said that was precisely the point with Wednesday's "Ride of Silence." Thousands of bicyclists have been killed as a result of careless drivers hogging the road and ignoring state law which mandates motorists provide bike riders three-feet clearance in the front back and sides at all times. By law, cyclists have the same rights as motorists. Cyclists all over the country had similar rides on Wednesday which falls in the middle of National Bike Safety Week. “We think this is a fitting way to educate the motoring public about the legal right of cyclists to share the road with automobiles, while quietly honoring those who have been killed or injured,†noted McAninch said. “Cycling for recreation and transportation is making a big comeback, especially here in Hernando,†Mayor Chip Johnson said. “It used to be that everyone knew that bikes and cars shared the road, but that information just got lost for a generation," Johnson said. "With more bicyclists on the road, it is important that we are all aware of each other’s presence and what the law says.†Last year, Mississippi passed the John Paul Frerer Bicycle Safety Act, named after a Tupelo teen who died while cycling from Tupelo to Pontotoc.
The bill requires motorists to provide a three-foot buffer when passing bicyclists along the road and penalizes those who harass, taunt or toss objects at cyclists. Fines range from $100 for a first offense to $2,500 and seven days in jail for the third offense.The act also requires bicyclists to ride in the right-hand lane with no more than two abreast. The City of Hernando has erected “3’ It’s the Law†and “Share the Road†signs on arterials and collector streets, striped bike lanes, and held training-related events with the HBC and the city’s bike police. Southern Bancorp is sponsoring “Dust Off That Bicycle and Ride†every Saturday morning in May at 8 a.m. starting from the bank’s parking lot on Byhalia and McIngvale Roads. The Hernando Bicycle Club rides every Saturday morning at 7:00 a.m. from the Hernando Farmers Market on the Square and has started a “Slowspokes†group ride at 3:30 p.m. on Sunday afternoons for novice riders.
