By Billy Davis

A man with Batesville ties who gave a ride to a stranger in downtown Jackson was robbed and killed in an apparent ambush.

Funeral services were held Monday in Oxford for Jerry Lynn “Frog” Raines, 45, who died June 5 near the University Medical Center.

While visiting son Cody Gordon at the Medical Center, Raines and his wife Reba had stopped at an Exxon convenience store to purchase snacks for the hospital stay, said daughter-in-law Jamie Raines.

At the gas station, the couple gave a ride to a black male who approached them.

“When they stopped on a side street near the hospital, a second black man approached the car and opened the driver’s side door and said, ‘Give me all you got,’” the daughter-in-law recalled.

After Raines handed over a money clip, the gunman shot him.

Raines died at the scene while his wife, a registered nurse, performed CPR. The gunman also stuck the pistol in the wife’s face before fleeing with the accomplice in a blue car.

“He kept the gun in her face for about 10 seconds, like he was deciding whether to shoot her, too,” the daughter-in-law said.

Jackson police are pursuing several leads, she said.

The Panolian attempted to reach a spokesman for the Jackson Police Department but was unsuccessful.

In addition to his wife, Jerry Raines is survived by five sons, including two sons from Pope, Terry Raines and Glenn Raines.

The funeral service for Raines was held at Coleman Funeral Home in Oxford. Interment was at Tula Cemetery.

Raines was a self-employed construction worker. He attended Hosanna Family Worship Center in Pope.

A donation fund has been set up by Coleman to help with funeral expenses. Donations can be sent to Jerry Raines Funeral Fund, P.O. Box 160, Oxford, MS, 38655.