ADAMS COUNTY, MS. (THECOUNT) — Joseph Cupit of Natchez, Mississippi, has been identified as the victim involved in a fatal shooting in Adams County Sunday evening.
Cupit, 41, was shot dead by his girlfriend, Jessica Aldridge, 31, of Adams County, who is now facing murder charges after sheriff’s officials said she pulled the trigger during a deadly domestic dispute Sunday, according to officials.
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Aldridge, of 27 Benbrook Road, fired a fatal shot that killed Cupit, 41, at approximately 7 p.m. Sunday.
“Around 7 p.m. we got a call about a disturbance on Benbrook Road,” Patten said. “After deputies arrived, they found the victim lying by his vehicle by the road. Paramedics with AMR were called and did CPR on the victim,” source.
Cupit was pronounced dead at the scene of gunshot injuries.
Patten said Aldridge told investigators the couple got into a heated argument and that Cupit had choked her.
“The victim (Cupit) tried to leave the residence and was trying to get into his vehicle,” Patten said, “and more words were passed and the suspect (Aldridge) fired two shots at the victim while he was next to his vehicle. One shot hit him the chest.”
Patten said eyewitnesses corroborated the verbal dispute but not the physical aspects, including choking, and the witnesses said Aldridge fired the shot from the residence.
“When she fired the shot,” Patten said, “she was not in any immediate danger and the victim was leaving the area and so she was charged with murder.”
Lee said Cupit’s body has been transported to the state crime lab for an autopsy in accordance with state law.
No bond has been set for Aldridge who is being held in the Adams County Jail, and the case is still under investigation, Patten said.
The investigation is ongoing.
Geo quick facts: Natchez is a city in Mississippi. Set on the Mississippi River, it’s known for antebellum mansions like the unfinished, octagonal Longwood, and the Melrose estate, part of the Natchez National Historical Park. Once a trade route, Natchez Trace Parkway is now a recreational road and scenic drive. To the south, Grand Village of the Natchez Indians is home to a reconstructed Natchez house and three ceremonial mounds – wikipedia.