Mississippi police arrest 2 after shooting death of pregnant woman

JACKSON, Miss. (WJTV) – Jackson police announced two men were arrested in connection to the shooting death of a pregnant woman.

Officer Sam Brown announced on Thursday, June 22 that police arrested 21-year-old Jshontiez McClendon and 22-year-old Jmarquiez McClendon.

They were both charged with two counts of murder, drive-by shooting and shooting into an occupied vehicle. They appeared in court on Friday, June 23 and were denied bond.

Brown said the shooting happened around 1:00 a.m. on Sunday, June 11 on Industrial Park Drive near Interstate 220.

When officers arrived, they discovered a woman inside a black Nissan Altima. She had been shot multiple times.

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Brown said the woman was taken to a local hospital for treatment. When she arrived, doctors discovered she was pregnant. They performed an emergency C-section, but the infant died.

Brown said the woman also died as a result of her injuries. Hinds County Coroner Sharon Grisham-Stewart identified the woman as Ayairia Anderson, 21. According to the coroner, Anderson was approximately eight months pregnant.

An attorney for the McClendons sent a statement to WJTV 12 News about the arrest of his clients.

“Today, our clients voluntarily presented to authorities with the Jackson Police Department. While we express our sincerest condolences to the families for the loss of life involved in this matter, we refuse to use this case as a publicity stunt. Instead, we will present the facts and evidence in a court of law. We are confident that neither of these gentlemen had any involvement in this unfortunate and tragic incident. We are confident, with sufficient time and recourses, these men will be exonerated,” said Attorney Warren Martin, Jr.