Teen girl remains critical after shooting in Itta Bena home

A 15-year-old girl remained in stable but critical condition Friday after being shot Tuesday night inside a Mitchell Street home in Itta Bena.

Reginald Freeman, the girl’s uncle and a former Itta Bena mayor, said a young male believed to be 16 or 17 broke into her bedroom and shot her before fleeing. The suspect was still at large, and no arrest had been announced.

The shooting has landed hard in a city of about 1,967 people spread across roughly 1.4 square miles, where violence on one street can quickly touch much of the community. Mississippi Valley State University sits one mile northeast of Itta Bena, adding another major local institution to the circle of concern. The City of Itta Bena lists James Stonewall as chief of police.

Mitchell Street has already drawn police attention before. On April 12, 2024, a 39-year-old man was shot there, and deputies arrived about 10 minutes after a shots-fired call. Itta Bena also endured a far deadlier burst of violence in October 2022, when a block-party shooting killed two people and injured seven others.

For residents trying to absorb another shooting involving a child, the immediate questions are whether the suspect can be found quickly and whether the violence will spread beyond one home. Freeman’s account made clear that the girl was shot in her own bedroom, a detail that has deepened the alarm around safety in a small Delta town already familiar with repeated gunfire.