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Authorities have disclosed that a Mississippi firearms manufacturer and his spouse were tragically killed by a family member amid an ongoing dispute over property, before the perpetrator ended his own life in a standoff with law enforcement.
Walter Earnest Birdsong Jr., aged 62, and his wife, Amanda Lynn Birdsong, aged 43, were fatally shot by Kurt Birdsong within their residence in Florence last Friday afternoon, according to police statements to WLBT.
The tragic incident was rooted in a nearly ten-year-long conflict, with Kurt, 56, alleging he was denied a parcel of land he believed his deceased father had promised him.
Armed with at least two firearms, Kurt forcibly entered Walter and Amanda’s home and shot the couple multiple times, as reported by Tide News.
Following the shooting, Kurt retreated to a bathroom, where he ultimately took his own life with a self-inflicted gunshot wound after a tense three-hour standoff with authorities.
The 911 caller who reported the shooting to cops revealed that the gunman had not fled the scene.
Cops swooped on the Birdsong’s home within eight minutes and tried to convince Kurt to surrender – but their attempts proved futile despite the best efforts of hostage negotiators.
Walter was the son of the founder of the firearms business W.E. Birdsong & Associates and Rankin County Sheriff Bryan Bailey requested bomb squad assistance because of the family’s profession.
“We had credible concerns about explosive materials that might be stored on site for coating or manufacturing processes,” he told reporters Saturday.
Cops rammed down the front door – before taking down the bathroom door where they found Kurt was dead.
Kurt had been at war with Walter and his family for at least seven years before the tragedy.
In 2019, he claimed a 14-acre piece of land had been moved to a third party without consent, according to court docs seen by Tide News.
Kurt claimed it had been promised to him by his father, who died in 2015, but the judge ruled against him – as there was no written contract.
After the ruling, Kurt became more erratic — with neighbors recalling family bust-ups.
“You’d hear yelling, sometimes, late at night,” one alleged.
But, Amanda played a role in trying to mediate disputes, another neighbor said.
“She was always the one trying to get everyone to sit down and talk,” they added.
The Birdsong family has said they are “heartbroken beyond words.”
“We ask that you respect our grief as we bury Walter, Amanda and even Kurt – despite what he did, he was still family,” they said. “The land that was meant to us has torn us apart.”
Investigators are combing through Kurt’s cellphone for a potential manifesto linked to the shooting.