A Yazoo City shooting that led to the arrest of a 17-year-old juvenile and left a male victim under hospital care with multiple gunshot wounds took a turn this week with the victim passing away.
Yazoo County Coroner Ricky Shivers said Wiltavious Knox passed away at the University of Mississippi Medical Center last Friday.
Shivers said Knox was pronounced dead at the Jackson hospital on Jan. 10 at 9:44 p.m.
Shivers added that Knox’s family did provide a full organ donation.
The announcement of Knox’s death comes just days after an arrest was made in connection to the Jackson Avenue shooting. Police Chief Terry Gann said at least one juvenile was charged with home invasion, kidnapping, aggravated assault and grand theft. The juvenile remained in custody with Jackson authorities last week following an investigation with a string of carjackings in the metro area.
“Following the victim’s passing, those charges will be upgraded to murder,” Gann said. “We also anticipate more arrests coming through this investigation.”
The Yazoo City incident occurred last month at a home on Jackson Avenue after Knox was transported to a Jackson hospital with multiple gunshot wounds, including a head wound.
“We had a report of male subjects walking in the Jackson Avenue and Eleventh Street area,” Gann said, in a previous interview. “When officers arrived, they did not find the subjects. But they did discover a vehicle that had been reported stolen out of Jackson.”
Gann said his department had the stolen vehicle towed before leaving the area. Moments later, reports came in of shots being fired in the same neighborhood.
“A male victim (Knox) had been shot multiple times, including a head wound,” Gann said. “He was taken to a Jackson hospital by an ambulance. Inside the home, we also discovered a female victim, who had been tied up.”
Gann said no other injuries were reported, adding that the suspects allegedly fled the area in a stolen Silver Dodge Challenger.
Gann said one of the juveniles suspected in the Yazoo City shooting was recently arrested by Jackson authorities. According to Anthony Warren, with WLBT, Jackson Police Chief Joseph Wade said officers had arrested 17-year-old Azarian Hatcher, who is facing multiple charges in Jackson. The Jackson arrest and investigation led to Hatcher’s alleged involvement with Yazoo City incident.
The Jackson arrests came just days after the teens were allegedly involved in a string of auto thefts and auto burglaries in the capital city.
