RANKIN COUNTY, Miss. (WJTV) – Rankin County deputies are investigating after a 36-year-old man was killed in a “targeted” shooting.

Deputies responded to a home on Highway 80 between Brandon and Pelahatchie just before 9:00 a.m. on August 27, 2025.

Investigator Tyler Burnell, with the Rankin County Sheriff’s Office, said deputies found William Earl Morris, 36, deceased from multiple gunshot wounds. Burnell said deputies and investigators have been following up on multiple leads.

Burnell said it appears that this was not a random crime and that Morris was specifically targeted by a person known to him.

Anyone with information about the fatal shooting can contact the Rankin County Sheriff’s Office at 601-825-1480 or Crime Stoppers at 601-355-TIPS (8477).