Reginald Butler was arrested and charged with aggravated assault in Adams County, Mississippi after a white man who allegedly attacked him earlier that day was shot throughout a second confrontation on a rural bridge, based on reports.

Deputies responded Friday night (July 11) to reviews of a combat close to a celebration on Deerfield Road, however earlier than they arrived, they had been knowledgeable {that a} taking pictures had occurred. Investigators later decided that two separate encounters led to the gunfire.

In the primary incident, captured partially on video, Butler was seen being crushed by a gaggle of white males. He escaped the assault on a bicycle. About a mile away, a type of males allegedly confronted Butler once more on a bridge, exited a car and started assaulting him, witnesses stated.

Butler then pulled a firearm and fired a number of rounds, putting the person within the chest and hitting the car as soon as. Both males fled the scene.

Butler was later positioned at his house and brought into custody. The firearm believed to have been used within the taking pictures was recovered. The wounded man was transported by emergency crews to Kingston Ball Field, the place he was airlifted to a hospital.

Butler was additionally taken to a hospital by deputies to be handled for accidents from the sooner assault.

Authorities recognized Cameron Taunton as one of many males concerned within the preliminary beating. He was initially charged with easy assault inflicting bodily harm. Despite video proof and witness statements indicating Butler was attacked a second time earlier than he fired his weapon, he stays in custody on the Adams County Jail.

Adams County Sheriff Travis Patten addressed the neighborhood’s rising issues after the video of the preliminary assault surfaced.

“To the individuals whose identities were captured in these videos or whose voices can be heard on the videos, come to the sheriff’s office on Monday first thing, or we will be seeking you out and picking you up,” Patten stated. “We are deeply troubled by the current incident involving the assault on Reginald Butler and the next arrest of all events concerned.

“The emergence of videos has shed new light on the events that took place that day when three individuals unjustly attacked a man who was simply minding his own business. We recognize the profound pain, anger and frustration this has caused the entire community and we share in the outrage over this injustice. Hate has no place in our society and certainly not in our community that has made so much progress.”

Still, Patten supplied a rationale for Butler’s arrest that some have questioned.

“The decision to charge Butler with aggravated assault reflects the totality of circumstances at this stage,” Patten stated, “including whether the use of force met legal standards for self-defense under Mississippi law. All of this is being reviewed now that the video evidence has emerged and statements have changed.”

Patten additionally famous that Butler had tried to return to the scene of the preliminary assault, which he initially stated factored into the choice to cost him—a declare he later admitted “isn’t completely accurate.”

Mississippi is considered one of 38 states with a “Stand Your Ground” regulation, which permits people to make use of lethal drive in the event that they fairly consider it’s obligatory to forestall demise or nice bodily hurt. Critics have lengthy argued these legal guidelines are usually not utilized equally, notably when Black people declare self-defense.

Butler was launched on a $50,000 bond on Monday (July 13). Taunton’s fees have been upgraded to aggravated assault and conspiracy to commit aggravated assault. He’s being held on a $350,000 bond.

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