July 14, 2021

Brandon police: Facebook post first slowed response when girl shot by boys with BB gun

Therese Apel

Please call authorities before posting a crime to social media.

Brandon police are asking people to actually contact police about crime before they post to social media.

A release from Brandon Police Department Tuesday states that a Facebook post was made about two boys on ATVs who allegedly shot a girl with a BB gun. They then fled the Ambiance neighborhood in Brandon, but a home surveillance camera caught them in action. That photo was included in the Facebook post. It happened around 3:30 p.m.

Around 3:50 p.m. was when police found out about the incident through a 911 call. Officers were sent to search the area and check on the girl who was shot. She had a minor injury that didn’t require medical attention.

Both suspects were found and taken into custody, and the ATV they were riding has also been located. Both are charged with simple assault/bodily injury and have been referred to the Rankin County Youth Court for prosecution, according to Brandon PD. Their names are not being released because they’re juveniles.

“Due to the incident first being posted to Facebook and the police not being notified until twenty minutes afterward, our response time was slowed and the suspects were possibly warned that police were responding,” the post stated. “We would ask the public to please call 911 or your local police department non-emergency line to report a crime, and not post evidence to social media until your local law enforcement agency has had an opportunity to see it first.”

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