Conservation Officer James Shirley Wood

James Shirley Wood

Conservation Officer Jim Wood was shot and killed at his home at approximately 10:00 pm by a man whom he had issued a citation to earlier in the day.

The man found out where Officer Wood lived and went to his home at Ross Barnett Lake near Mize. When Officer Wood's wife answered the door the man asked to speak with the officer. When Officer Wood came to the front door the man shot him.

One of the officers who responded to the murder scene, Corporal James Bounds, of the Mississippi Highway Patrol, suffered a fatal heart attack when he saw the body of Officer Wood and he learned that his friend had been shot and killed.

The suspect who murdered Officer Wood was apprehended and sentenced to 20 years.

Officer Wood had served with the Mississippi Department of Wildlife Conservation for six years as the manager of Lake Ross Barnett. He was survived by his wife, two daughters, parents, two sisters, and one brother.