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NATCHEZ — A late Monday night carjacking turned into a shooting incident when the alleged shooter reportedly took matters into his own hands, Natchez Police Chief Cal Green said.

The incident occurred on West Steirs Lane before 10 p.m. Monday.

Green said a 17-year-old juvenile threatened a resident identified as 69-year-old Darnell Crawford with a knife and demanded that he give him his truck keys.

The name of the juvenile has not been released because he is a juvenile.

“(Crawford) throws the keys far enough away that he can escape and the juvenile takes the keys and runs with them,” Green said.

When police arrived to make a report, the juvenile was already gone from the area. Then police received another call of shots fired and left to investigate but never found anything. While they were gone, Crawford looked out his window and thought he saw the same juvenile walking down the street, Green said.

Crawford reportedly followed the juvenile to the juvenile’s house where a fight ensued between the two. The juvenile was shot during the altercation and taken by private vehicle to Merit Health Natchez Hospital, Green said. The juvenile is stable and his injuries were non-life-threatening, she said.

Because attempted armed carjacking is a violent charge, Green said NPD would attempt to charge the juvenile as an adult when he is released from the hospital. 

“Threatening someone with the means to cause serious injury or death is a violent offense,” she said.

Green added, “Unfortunately, we are charging Mr. Crawford with aggravated assault. If he saw where the juvenile went, he should have called the police at that point and not go to confront him by himself.”