Scott County Sheriff Mike Lee said Tuesday morning that two 16-year-olds have been arrested and charged with murder, and that other arrest may be possible, in connection with the shooting death of Lake High School senior Travis Jones last Thursday.
“We have two arrests,” Lee said. “Both are 16 years old. We are still investigating and more arrests may be forthcoming. One of the juveniles was going to Lake High school and the other had dropped out. Both are formally charged with murder.”
As for motive, Lee said that has yet to be determined. “Right now we are looking at the possibility that he (Travis) was not the one they intended to shoot but we are still in the middle of the investigation,” he said.
Jones was pronounced dead at the scene and an unidentified 13-year-old is recovering from his injuries following the shooting near the intersection of Old Highway 80 and Johnson Town Road. Jones was a defensive starter on the football team and was recently named Farm Bureau Player of the Week.
Deputies were called to the scene of an apparent vehicle accident around 3:30 Thursday where they found Jones and the other victim shot. The 13-year-old was transported to the hospital in a private vehicle, and later transferred to the University Medical Center in Jackson, where he was reported to be in stable condition.
Late Thursday evening Lake High issued a statement announcing that the home football game against Philadelphia High had been canceled. “Due to unforeseen circumstances, the football game against Philadelphia has been canceled. Please be in prayer for our Lake community,” the school posted on social media. It was scheduled as Senior Night on the school calendar.
The Scott County School District was out on Fall Break at the time of the incident, however school officials issued the following statement Friday.
“It is with a heavy heart that we inform you that the Lake Community experienced a tragic shooting incident on Thursday. During the incident, a Lake High School student was killed and a Lake Middle School student was injured. We ask each of you to lift the Lake Community up in prayer. The Lake Community will be mourning the loss of a student while trying to support each other through this tragedy. We must be prayer warriors for them during this time!
“Our students’ and faculty’s mental/emotional health and safety is of the utmost priority at this time. Counseling services will be available and provided to staff and students as needed and additional security personnel will be present on all Lake School Campuses when school resumes on Monday.”
At press time services for Jones had not yet been announced. If anyone has any information about this shooting contact the Scott County Sheriff’s Office at 601-469-1511 or Crime Stoppers at 601-355-8477.
