Two men are in jail and a third is being sought in a home invasion that involved one of the suspects shooting himself while using a gun to beat the victim.
Pearl River County Sheriff’s Department deputies and investigators were called to the scene of the crime on Oct. 20 after receiving a call at about 9:20 that night from a resident on the 1500 block of Dupont Hart’s Chapel Road concerning a man showing up at his house alleging he had just been beaten up by a group of men, said Chief Deputy Shane Tucker.
When the deputies arrived they spoke with the complainant who told them that the victim had arrived at his house on foot with visible injuries and saying men had broken into his home and beat him up.
Tucker said that as deputies investigated the scene blood was found inside and outside the victim’s home, indicating where the beating took place.
The victim told investigators that as he was stepping out his back door to smoke he noticed a man standing at the back steps wearing a hockey mask and hoodie. Tucker said the victim told the officers that at that point he was immediately beaten and made several attempts to get away.
The man was eventually able to get away and make his way to the neighbor’s home.
After Det. Randy Messa processed the scene and was about to leave the area he received a call from dispatch that a Pearl River County man was just admitted to a St. Tammany Parish hospital for a gunshot wound to the leg, Tucker said.
Unsure if the two incidents were related since there was no evidence of a gunshot on the scene, Messa used the next couple of days to investigate. Tucker said the time of the man being admitted to the hospital and the fact he lived near the scene of the crime led him to dig deeper. Each time Messa spoke with the man, later identified as 23-year-old Desmund H. Hart of 69 Ellis Hart Rd., the story of how he sustained a gunshot wound to his leg didn’t add up, Tucker said.
But as the investigation ensued it was determined that Hart was admitted to the hospital about 45 minutes after the victim reported the crime to the neighbor, which is about the same amount of time it would take to travel to the hospital from the scene of the beating, Tucker said.
Continued investigation later determined that Hart had allegedly shot himself, while pistol-whipping the victim during the home invasion, Tucker said. Apparently, the gun discharged while Hart was striking the victim with the gun, Tucker said.
Hart was arrested for armed robbery, along with 24-year-old Stanley E. Hart of 133 Ellis Hart Rd., who was also charged with armed robbery after investigators determined he too was involved, Tucker said. Stanley Hart was arrested on Monday, while Desmund Hart was arrested on Tuesday.
A third suspect is still at large. Tucker said investigators are looking for 19-year-old Jermany A. Woods of 89 Ellis Hart Rd., Poplarville for the charge of armed robbery. The Sheriff’s Department asks anyone with information concerning Woods’ whereabouts to call 601-795-2241.
The victim is now recovering from his wounds, which required multiple stiches and staples to his head and face, Tucker said.
“They really beat him pretty bad,” Tucker said.
It appears the victim and suspects did not know each other and robbery was the motive in the crime, since a wallet and bb gun were reported missing by the victim, Tucker said.