A Lowndes County man is in custody for murder in the Monday morning shooting death of his girlfriend’s 4-year-old son.
Deputies with the Lowndes County Sheriff’s Department arrested 27-year-old Patrick Chambers on Tuesday, according to Capt. Ryan Rickert. Chambers is also accused of being a felon in possession of a firearm.
He will be arraigned and formally charged today in Lowndes County Justice Court.
Officers responded just after 8 a.m. Monday to reported shots fired at a residence at 1784 Sobley Road, east of Columbus, where they found Brayden Barksdale dead from a gunshot wound. Rickert said the child’s mother, Amy Richardson, had gone to work and left her son alone with Chambers — her boyfriend who lives with her. Chambers allegedly shot the child with a rifle inside the house, Rickert said.
County Coroner Greg Merchant ruled the shooting a homicide following Barksdale’s autopsy in Jackson early Tuesday.
On Tuesday, a burial fund for Barksdale was created at gofundme.com.
The fundraising goal, according to the site, is $4,000. As of this morning, $2,125 had been raised through 39 donations.
To access the site, go to gofundme.com/kih7l0.
Zack Plair is the managing editor for The Dispatch.
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