Holmes County wreck kills 4 men, driver survives

Car-crash-wreck-accident-police-tapeLEXINGTON, Mississippi (AP) — Four men have died and a fifth is hospitalized after a one-car wreck in northern Holmes County.

Cpl. Tony Dunn, a spokesman for the Mississippi Highway Patrol, said the wreck happened before 9:30 a.m. Sunday, about 2 miles south of the Acona community on Mississippi 17.

A hunter found a 2007 Dodge Charger that had run off the road near a bridge, jumped a creek, and slammed into an embankment on the other side. The vehicle then flipped over several times.

The driver and four passengers were ejected, killing the passengers. Pictures from the scene show the front end and roof of the car disintegrated under the force of the impacts.

The dead, all Lexington residents, were identified by the Highway Patrol as 29-year-old Jorel Johnson, 26-year-old Shamar Walden, 30-year-old Tyrone Williams and 34-year-old Royce Mayze.

The driver, 31-year-old Ledetric McGee of Horn Lake, survived with what troopers described as possibly life-threatening injuries. McGee was airlifted to the University of Mississippi Medical Center in Jackson and hospital employees said he was in surgery Sunday evening.

It’s unclear how long after the wreck that the hunter found the scene, on what Dunn described as a narrow stretch of road marked by hills and curves.

“We do know they had been out there a little while before we got there,” he said. “It’s plausible the accident occurred before daybreak.”

The scene of the wreck is about 10 miles north of Lexington and about 65 miles north of Jackson.

Dunn said it’s not clear if anyone was wearing a seat belt. It’s also unknown if the driver was under the influence of alcohol. Though a large crowd of family members and onlookers gathered at the scene Sunday, Dunn said troopers aren’t sure where the men were going. He said McGee was originally from the Acona area, although his driver’s license listed a DeSoto County address.

Troopers continue to investigate.