A man is believed to have killed two people and taken his own life in Rankin County.
Sheriff Bryan Bailey reports that officials responded to a home on Monterey Road near Florence on Friday, where the suspect was said to be in a land dispute with two family members.
The dispute seemingly grew hostile, with two people being killed, and the suspect later barricaded himself inside a home when deputies arrived at the scene. The two shooting victims were identified as 62-year-old Walter Birdsong Jr. and 43-year-old Amanda Birdsong, while the suspect has been identified as 56-year-old Kurt Birdsong
After armored vehicles arrived on scene, members of the Rankin County SWAT team and negotiators approached the residence and made numerous unsuccessful attempts to contact the suspect, officials report.
Deputies later used armored and technical equipment to breach and enter the residence. During a search of the home, deputies located the suspect deceased inside a bathroom from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound.
