Mississippi police chief: Man shot by officer is improving

WOODVILLE, Miss. (AP) - A Mississippi police chief says a man shot multiple times by a Mississippi officer is improving.

Woodville Police Chief Jessie Stewart tells The Natchez Democrat that 28-year-old Gerry Byrd is breathing on his own in a Baton Rouge, Louisiana, hospital.

Byrd is accused of shooting a woman in Baton Rouge early Tuesday, stealing her car and leaving her wounded beside Interstate 10. Stewart says Byrd drove to a Woodville convenience store, entered holding two guns and “slapped around” a clerk. Byrd says a Woodville officer shot Byrd when Byrd moved toward the officer.

Stewart says the store will close between midnight and 4 a.m. and have two clerks at all times.

The Woodville officer remains on leave as the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation examines the shooting.

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Information from: The Natchez Democrat, http://www.natchezdemocrat.com/