Shooting at Elvis attraction Graceland Too leaves 1 dead

Elvis attraction Graceland Too is located in Holly Springs.
Elvis attraction Graceland Too is located in Holly Springs.
Elvis attraction Graceland Too is located in Holly Springs.

HOLLY SPRINGS, Mississippi (AP) — A 28-year-old man was shot and killed just inside the door of Graceland Too, a 24-hour Elvis Presley tourist attraction in the northern Mississippi town of Holly Springs, authorities said Wednesday.

Marshall County Coroner Richard Anderson said Dwight David Taylor Jr., of Holly Springs, was pronounced dead shortly after police responded to a 911 call at 10:41 p.m. Tuesday. The Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal reports Anderson said Taylor died from a single, .45-caliber gunshot to the chest.

Anderson also confirmed the shooter was Paul MacLeod, owner and operator of the home-based attraction filled with Elvis memorabilia. MacLeod, a lifetime Elvis fanatic, gives tours of his antebellum home 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

No charges have been filed. Police released MacLeod after questioning.

The Clarion-Ledger reports MacLeod’s attorney, Phillip Knecht, said in a news release, that a man forced his way inside MacLeod’s home, demanding money. Knecht said the two got into a fight when the intruder refused to leave, leading to the man’s death.

MacLeod’s home doubles as a monument for Presley and is open seven days a week. It’s a popular tourist destination for college students in the area. It’s a convenient stop for fans on an Elvis pilgrimage, sitting about halfway between Elvis Presley’s birthplace in Tupelo, Mississippi, and the King’s final home and resting place, the unaffiliated Graceland mansion in Memphis, Tennessee.

“Mr. MacLeod and Graceland Too are fully cooperating with the local law enforcement in this matter. The investigation is in the earliest stages, and is continuing,” Knecht said.

Knecht said MacLeod was “too shook up” to talk to the press Wednesday and he was handling questions from reporters.

Until further notice, Graceland Too will be closed, Knecht said.