Authorities Arrest, Will Charge Man for Highway Killings

Authorities say the alleged shooter never impersonated a cop

Authorities in Mississippi say they've arrested a man allegedly involved in two fatal highway shootings that happened late at night along desolate stretches.

Mississippi Department of Public Safety spokesman Warren Strain said 28-year-old James D. Willie is being held on charges of aggravated assault, kidnapping and rape. He will be formally charged with two counts of capital murder in the shootings. He's being held at the Tunica County jail in north Mississippi.

Strain said he was not posing as a police officer in the shootings as authorities previously suspected.

Strain said authorities were able to match ballistics from the shootings to a 9mm Ruger found in Willie's possession when he was arrested.

“The Bureau of Investigation and Crime Laboratory dedicated all resources available to this investigation,” said Mississippi Public Safety Commissioner Albert Santa Cruz. “Our citizens have been terrorized by these murders and we worked tirelessly to resolve them.”

Mississippi law enforcement agencies had warned motorists that someone may be posing as an officer because the shooting victims had no obvious reason to be stopped on the interstate where they were found.

Copyright AP - Associated Press
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