In the small town of Ethel, Mississippi, the evening of December 19, 2024, was shattered by violence that claimed the life of 42-year-old Leotha Kincaid Ashford. A Black male, Ashford was at the Hannah Heights Apartments when a shooting occurred at approximately 8:40 p.m. He was quickly transported to the Baptist Hospital Attala Emergency Department, but tragically, he was pronounced dead at 10:04 p.m.
His body was scheduled to be sent to the Mississippi State Crime Lab for an autopsy to officially determine the cause of death.
The Attala County Sheriff's Department immediately launched an investigation into the fatal shooting. In the days that followed, authorities sought the public's help in locating two individuals they wanted to question in connection with Ashford's death. The persons of interest were identified as 46-year-old Timothy James Potts and 23-year-old Brittani Paige Raney, both from the nearby town of McCool, Mississippi.
Thanks to the collaborative efforts of the Attala County Sheriff's Office and the Kosciusko Police Department, along with valuable tips from the community, both Potts and Raney were taken into custody by December 23, 2024. Following their apprehension, Timothy James Potts was charged with murder in the shooting death of Leotha Ashford. Brittani Paige Raney was charged with accessory after the fact. The investigation into the circumstances that led to the tragic shooting remains ongoing as authorities continue to piece together the events of that fatal December night.
