Mississippi man gets 12 years in teen’s shooting death

TUPELO, Miss. (AP) – A Mississippi man has been sentenced to 12 years in prison for the shooting death of a teen more than a year ago.

The Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal reported 26-year-old Brandon Rucker of Okolona pleaded guilty to manslaughter Wednesday in the Oct. 27, 2017 shooting death of 17-year-old Lorenzo Wright Jr. of Verona.

Rucker had originally been charged with first-degree murder.

Circuit Court Judge John R. White also ordered Rucker to serve five years of probation upon release.

Witnesses said they heard two men arguing outside a house in Verona and then heard a gunshot.

Wright was shot once in the abdomen. He was taken to the North Mississippi Medical Center and died several hours later.

Police Chief J.B. Long said Rucker and Wright had been seen together earlier.

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Information from: Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal, http://djournal.com

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