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Sheriff Harold Ray Presley, 52, of Lee County, Mississippi, was killed in the line of duty on July 6, 2001, during a violent shootout in Tupelo. The events began with the pursuit of a kidnapping suspect, Billy Ray Stone, who allegedly had abducted a woman named Charlene Wright and fled from a police roadblock, exchanged gunfire with officers, then crashed and ran on foot. Later that morning, at about 4:15 a.m., Presley responded to a homeowner’s call on Fellowship Road about barking dogs and, with deputy Jack Tate and homeowner Robert Norris, entered a building behind the main house where they believed the suspect was hiding. A gun battle erupted; Presley pushed his deputy out of the line of fire and sustained multiple gunshot wounds.
He returned fire and killed Stone with a single shot, but Presley was mortally wounded and died at the scene. Charlene Wright also died from injuries suffered when she was ejected from Stone’s vehicle during the initial chase. No arrests or trials followed because the primary suspect was killed during the incident.
Does anyone have additional information about Sheriff Presley’s final call or the scene on Fellowship Road?