Struggle Over Gun Leaves One Dead, One Charged

Newsom

COLUMBUS, Miss. (WCBI) — A struggle over a gun in a moving car leaves one man dead and another behind bars.

Lowndes County Coroner Greg Merchant says 47-year-old John Easley apparently died from a single gunshot wound at about 3:30 Sunday morning.

Columbus police say 30-year-old James Newsom is charged with murder.

Police say Newsom, of West Point, was driving southbound on Highway 45 in a Chevrolet Malibu and Easley was a passenger when they began struggling over a handgun and Easley was shot.

The car ran into a curb in front of Goose Hollow Furniture and Newsome fled with the gun. A motorist called police reporting a traffic accident and when officers arrived, they found Easley dead from a gunshot wound to the chest.

They later caught Newsom walking a few blocks away on Lincoln Road.

Easley and Newsom aren’t strangers to violence.

Easley has been shot twice previously, the last time outside a home on Fifth Avenue South in August two years ago. He also was charged with kidnapping and felon in possession of a weapon in June 2010.

Newsom also has a criminal record, serving time for robbery.

Police still are looking for the weapon, which they think Newsome threw away when he fled.