By John Howell
Panola law enforcement authorities returned to Hilltop Grocery Monday morning to continue their investigation of a Saturday morning shooting that left two dead and three wounded by gunfire.

Dead are Roderick (also spelled Rodrick) Ardaile Scurlock, 24 and Quendarious Robinson, 20, Panola County Coroner Gracie Grant-Gulledge said.
The victims were struck by gunfire about 12:40 a.m. Saturday when multiple shots erupted at Hilltop Grocery near the intersection of Macedonia and Curtis Roads.

Scurlock was pronounced dead at the scene and Robinson later at Tri-Lakes Medical Center, according to the coroner.

A witness who lives near the Hilltop store said that he was awakened about 12:40 a.m. by multiple shots.

“It sounded like somebody was hammering; 12 or 13 at first, after that another eight or 12,” said the witness, who asked not to be identified.
The Hilltop store had apparently been the venue for a party.

“The parking lot was full and there were cars parked over there,” the witness said, indicating the parking area of the Macedonia Community Center on the opposite side of Curtis Road. The witness estimated that there were 30 to 35 cars, all leaving hurriedly by the time the witness emerged from a nearby home to see what had happened.

Panola County Sheriff Dennis Darby said that the gunfire unleashed early Saturday morning at Hilltop Store, in addition to killing two, wounded at least two people, “possibly one more.”

“We have an unconfirmed report that a female might have been grazed, but we’re still waiting for her to come forward,” Darby said.
Chief Deputy Chris Franklin said that one of the wounded victims was airlifted to The Med in Memphis.

During Monday’s investigation, officers had determined that the shooters had apparently been waiting in ambush behind the Hilltop building, Sheriff Dennis Darby said. Investigators had located shell casings from four different caliber weapons, he said.

One bullet struck but did not sever a utility wire on the south side of Curtis  Road. Another bullet was found imbedded in the front of the Concord-Macedonia Community Center, across Curtis Road from Hilltop.

Background
The shootings appear to stem from a continuing pattern of gang/familial/retaliation violence that has plagued the county since the late 20th Century.
In July, Scurlock pleaded guilty to domestic violence-simple assault. Ironically, that same week he was featured in a photo with a group of young men organized by a local church to provide role models against violence. Scurlock has numerous appearances in Batesville Municipal Court dating back to 2008 when he had a preliminary hearing on an aggravated assault charge.

Scurlock was linked with the Gangsta Disciples during the 2012 trial of Sharika Harris, then 20. Harris was charged with conspiracy to commit murder in connection with a shoot out on Martin Luther King Day, Jan. 13, 2012 that killed Jeremy Wright.

According to the trial testimony, the shoot out was sparked when Harris and another female member of the Vice Lords spotted Gangsta Disciple rival Scurlock in the area of Vance Street and alerted other Vice Lords.

All the wounded victims have been released from hospitals, the sheriff said.