Six people, including four juveniles, have been charged after Jackson police found them inside a vacant home on Otis Street in East Jackson with three firearms, according to the Jackson Police Department.
Police said they were dispatched to the street at about 3:40 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 24 after reports that people were entering a vacant house illegally. A witness's Ring camera had sent an alert with video showing individuals jumping the fence and going into the home.
Officers arrived and found six people inside, four juveniles and two adult men. Three firearms were also found at the scene, and two of them had been reported stolen.
Charges
Investigators with the department's General Investigations Unit charged all six people with aggravated burglary, theft of property and unlawful possession of a firearm. The department did not release names, and juvenile cases are generally kept confidential. Charges are allegations, and everyone charged is presumed innocent until proven guilty.
How it started
The case shows how home camera alerts can help police. In this case, a neighbor or owner received a notification on a phone and called it in, and officers were able to arrive while the people were still inside.
A separate case days earlier
Police also announced a separate case from the early hours of Tuesday, Oct. 20. Officers searching the LANA area around 12:31 a.m. saw someone dressed in black moving through an alley between Walnut Street and Roland Avenue, and the person ran. Around 12:42 a.m., an officer found a vehicle in the 1000 block of Prospect Avenue holding five juvenile males, three of them 16, one 15 and one 17.
Officers found three firearms in that vehicle: a Draco 7.62x39 firearm, a Springfield XD 9mm handgun and an AR-style 5.56 pistol. All five juveniles were taken to the Juvenile Detention Center on charges that included weapons violations, and the guns were seized.
Tips for homeowners
Police have not offered specific advice in these cases, but vacant property owners may want to check on empty homes and report anything unusual.
Sources: WBBJ, NBC 39, Jackson Police Department statements as reported by WBBJ