Woman’s brother is warden of Carroll County jail
COILA – A Carroll County man is behind bars charged with aggravated domestic violence after shooting his girlfriend in the head. Carroll County Sheriff Jerry Carver said 64-year old Augusta Keys was arrested on Feb. 18 after he accidentally shot Ruby Givens, 54, at their home on U.S. Highway 17.
Carver said Keys and Givens were sitting outside in the yard at the time of the incident and Keys was reportedly intoxicated.
“It was a pretty nice day that day,” Carver said. “And he was drinking pretty heavy. And from information we got during our investigation, when he gets to drinking he pulls this gun out and shoots it. But this seems like it was just a careless mistake he made.”
Carver said Givens lives in the home on U.S. Highway 17 with her two sons and Keys. He further said one of Givens’ sons was home at the time of the shooting, but didn’t witness the incident.
“He was in the area but he wasn’t looking at them the time the shot was made,” Carver said.
The first Carroll County deputy to arrive at the house retrieved a .32 automatic handgun from the scene.
Carver said when he arrived, Givens was sitting in a chair on the front porch and Keys was holding her head.
“I would talk to her but it didn’t seem like she knew anything,” he said. “She was reared back in a chair and she couldn’t move her right side.”
Carver said Givens, who is the sister of Arthur Smith, warden of the Carroll-Montgomery Regional Correctional Facility in Vaiden, was shot once in the temple above her left ear. She was transported to Greenwood Leflore Hospital by ambulance and then airlifted to University of Mississippi Medical Center in Jackson where Carver said she remains unresponsive.
Carver said Keys was questioned and taken into custody without incident.
“He didn’t realize what happened,” Carver said. “And he’s still unclear of what happened that day because of his condition at the time. He gave a statement which was not consistent with the way the injury happened.”
Keys bond was set at $25,000 which he posted this week.
Keys was also bound over to the action of the Carroll County Grand Jury which meets next month.
Be the first to comment