On a spring evening in Grenada, Mississippi, what began as a recreational afternoon of target shooting among four individuals ended in a tragic loss of life. Jeff Counts, a 46-year-old Caucasian male, was fatally shot on April 6, 2019, at a residence north of the city. A well-known and respected member of the community, Counts was the Pre-Owned Sales Manager at Kirk Auto Company and an active member of the Grenada Church of God. His sudden and violent death sent ripples of shock and grief through the local community.
That day, Jeff Counts was in the backyard of a home with three other people, including 18-year-old Gage Atkinson. The group was engaged in shooting at targets when a situation, later described by authorities as domestic-related, escalated with devastating consequences. In the ensuing event, Counts sustained multiple gunshot wounds to the head. When deputies from the Grenada County Sheriff's Office arrived at the scene, they found him deceased. His body was later sent to the state Crime Lab in Pearl for an autopsy.
In the immediate aftermath of the shooting, investigators took Gage Atkinson into custody at the scene. He was subsequently arrested and formally charged with the murder of Jeff Counts. Court documents from Grenada County indicate that Atkinson was booked on the day of the incident. While the initial steps of the legal process were set in motion with an arrest and a murder charge, further details regarding the progression of the case against Gage Atkinson, including a trial, conviction, or sentencing, are not publicly available. The narrative of that tragic day concludes with an arrest, leaving the final chapter of the legal resolution unwritten in the public record.
