On the evening of April 13, 2019, deputies responded to a residence on Herrin Road in Lumberton, Mississippi, after reports of gunfire. At the scene, 47-year-old James Edward Herrin Jr had suffered a fatal gunshot wound to the head and was pronounced dead. A female companion, identified as his girlfriend April Robb, sustained multiple gunshot wounds but survived and was taken to a local hospital in stable condition.

Witnesses at the home described the shooter and the vehicle used to flee. Deputies identified 39-year-old Norman Andrew Andy Whiddon Jr of Purvis as the suspect; he fled in a gray Toyota Tacoma. A pursuing deputy located the truck, attempted a traffic stop, and engaged in a high-speed pursuit that ended when Whiddon’s pickup collided head-on with a Purvis police cruiser. Whiddon and an officer suffered minor injuries; multiple weapons were recovered from the vehicle and Whiddon was taken into custody.

The case was prosecuted in Lamar County; a jury convicted Whiddon of first-degree murder and related charges and he received life plus concurrent terms for the assaults and fleeing. The Mississippi Court of Appeals affirmed the convictions and sentences in April 2024. Does anyone have information about James Herrin’s life in the Lumberton area or about the events that night?