NATCHEZ  — Adams County Sheriff’s Office officials said deputies recovered several firearms late Saturday night from a house near where a drive-by shooting occurred earlier in the day.

“There is no doubt in my mind that these guns were going to be used in some kind of retaliation,” Sheriff Travis Patten said.

Patten said deputies arrested Jadarrius McKnight, 19, 411A Watts Ave., on charges of possession of schedule I marijuana with intent to distribute (with a firearms enhancement), resisting arrest and possession of a stolen firearm.

Approximately 2 p.m. Saturday, a man was shot in the leg in front of a house in the 400 block of Watts Avenue. Witnesses told Natchez Police the shots came from a red pickup truckdriving through the neighborhood with approximately three men inside.

The victim was treated and released from Merit Health Natchez with non-life-threatening injuries, police said.

Patten said the Adams County Sheriff’s Office Special Operations Group was patrolling the neighborhood Saturday night and noticed suspicious activity at McKnight’s residence.

“Deputies attempted to make contact with a subject outside the residence when he ran inside and locked the door,” Patten said. “While standing at the door the odor of marijuana was extremely strong coming from inside the residence.”

Patten said McKnight jumped out of a back window and fled. Deputies chased him down and deputies said McKnight resisted arrest.

Meanwhile, Patten said, several other occupants fled the house.

“The homeowner arrived and gave deputies written and verbal consent to search the residence,” Patten said.

Deputies said they found a loaded Smith & Wesson .40-caliber;a loaded Glock 23, which had been reported stolen from Vidalia;a loaded Glock 22; a loaded Phoenix Arms .25-caliber pistol; a loaded Anderson Arms AR-15 with a brass catcher; a loaded Chinese SKS rifle with a sawed off stock; another loaded Anderson Arms AR-15 with a brass catcher; 9 ounces of marijuana and a cell phone in the residence.

“Although we did not get everyone that ran from the house,” Patten said, “DNA and fingerprints examination will be done by the Mississippi Crime Lab. The weapons will also be examined to see if they have been used in any of the shootings that have taken place. You do not put brass catcher on these assault rifles for no reason.”

A brass catcher is a device that can be attached to a semi-automatic rifle to “catch” spent cartridges. Although target shooters who reload their own ammunition could use the devices to keep from having to hunt over the ground for spent casing, they can also be used by criminals to avoid leaving evidence in the form of a spent casing.

Patten said law enforcement officials are meeting with management of area apartment complexes asking for help in investigating crimes and urging them to install camera on their properties.

“The management at Holiday Apartments has stepped up to the plate by installing cameras to help combat crime in that area,” Patten said. “We have met with management of some of these other apartment complexes, and it is past time for them to do the same. You cannot continue to be notified of criminal actions happening on your property and not take the necessary corrective actions to combat it.”

Patten said he is communicating with the management ofCambridge Heights about installing cameras in that complex.

“It is law enforcement’s desire to see these cameras installed in every apartment complex and high crime areas,” Patten said. “If the owners don’t install them on their own like Holidays Apartments did, it would be nice to see the city and county draft ordinances requiring they be installed. At the end of the day, we all have a duty to protect. This is a simple way the apartment complex owners can to do their part.”