Two men were brought to the hospital each with a gunshot wound to the leg that were received during an alleged drug deal gone bad.
Deputies with the Pearl River County Sheriff’s Department were sent to the Hillsdale Motel on Tuesday just after 8 a.m. in reference to a shooting, said Chief Deputy Shane Tucker.
When they arrived two men were found sitting on a bench, each with a tourniquet around one leg, Tucker said.
An investigation into the incident determined that the two men, identified as 63-year-old Carl V. Myers and 39-year-old Jeffrey D. Hines, were allegedly engaged in a drug transaction around the side of the hotel, but at some point an argument ensued, Tucker said.
Myers had his .22 caliber revolver with him at the time of the argument, Tucker said.
“In his agitated state he accidentally shot himself in the leg,” Tucker said. “Shortly after that he shot Jeffrey Hines in the leg.”
The investigation also recovered some prescription medication that is believed to have been part of the transaction, Tucker said.
Both men were transported to Forrest General Hospital for treatment and released a short time later.
Myers, who gave an address of 908 West Main Ave., Lumberton but actually lives at the Hillsdale Hotel in suite 141, was released from the hospital on Tuesday and then charged with conspiracy to transfer a controlled substance, two counts of possession of a controlled substance with intent to distribute and aggravated assault, Tucker said.
Hines, of 37 Griffin Seals Rd., Poplarville, was released from the hospital on Wednesday and subsequently charged with conspiracy to transfer a controlled substance, Tucker said.