Sheriff: Latest Sardis slaying on Monday not gang related

Published 3:15 pm Tuesday, August 17, 2021

Another shooting on Willow Rd. in the Green Hill subdivision claimed the life of a Sardis man Monday night, and left another hospitalized with a leg wound.

Panola County Sheriff Shane Phelps said investigators believe the shooting was the result of an argument between friends that escalated quickly.

“All indications are this was not part of the two gangs fighting one another that caused shootings in Como and Sardis the past two weeks,” Phelps said. “We have a person of interest, but have not made an arrest at this point.”

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The deceased was identified by the Coroner’s Office as Antonio Wolfe, age unavailable. Wolfe is the third person to be killed by gunfire in north Panola County in the past three weeks. Several others have been wounded as well.

Phelps said another crime shortly after the shootings on Hwy. 315 outside Sardis was connected to the gunplay. In that case, perpetrators allegedly stormed a woman’s house and demanded the keys to her vehicle. They fled before deputies could arrive.

Both cases were in active investigations Tuesday.

Phelps also confirmed that no one was injured in a wreck involving a deputy responding to the original shooting call.

An officer’s truck struck another motorists on Hwy. 35S, but neither driver needed medical attention. Another deputy stopped at the accident scene and was able to take his fellow officer to the Sardis scene.