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Two men plead guilty in Rankin County drive-by shooting case

By Kristopher White Mar 19, 2025 | 3:09 PM

RANKIN COUNTY, Miss. (WJTV) – Rankin County authorities said two men pled guilty in connection to a drive-by shooting.

The shooting occurred on Muse Road near Highway 49 south of Florence on December 30, 2023. Deputies said they identified Vicente Junior Rodriguez as a suspect. He was detained by Madison County deputies.

During an interview, investigators learned that the motive for the shooting had been jealousy related to an ex-girlfriend. They later discovered that Alan Jacob Edward Welch had driven the vehicle used in the shooting.

Both Rodriguez and Welch were arrested on multiple charges and later indicted by a Rankin County Grand Jury.

  • Vicente Junior Rodriguez (Courtesy: Rankin Co. Sheriff’s Office)
  • Alan Jacob Edward Welch (Courtesy: Rankin Co. Sheriff’s Office)

Rodriguez pled guilty to drive-by shooting and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. He was already out on parole through the Mississippi Department of Corrections (MDOC) for Burglary at the time these new crimes were committed. He was been sentenced to an additional 10-year and five-year consecutive sentence, which will both run consecutive to the remainder of his current sentence.

Welch pled guilty to accessory after the fact to drive-by shooting. He was sentenced to serve five years in the custody of MDOC.