A man believed to be responsible for a mass shooting in north Mississippi has been deemed incompetent to stand trial.
Tate County Circuit Court Judge Jimmy McClure ordered Richard Dale Crum, who is facing multiple capital murder charges after allegedly killing six people at three locations in Arkabutla in February 2023, to be committed at the Mississippi State Hospital at Whitfield or another mental health facility for the time being. Among those killed were Crum’s ex-wife and his stepfather.
McClure ordered Crum to be committed to a mental health facility for “competency restoration and all necessary related treatment and testing” to determine whether or not the defendant will be mentally fit to stand trial for the foreseeable future.
Meanwhile, the state has made its intentions clear that it is seeking the death penalty in Crum’s case.
Backstory
Crum is believed to have begun a “shooting rampage” at a convenience store in Arkabutla on Feb. 17, 2023. The small, unincorporated town comprises around 285 people and is located approximately 45 miles south of Memphis.
Officials have stated that Crum began shooting at 59-year-old Chris Boyce and his brother, Doug, while they were seated in a pickup truck. The two had traveled to Arkabutla to work on property that was recently inherited by a deceased uncle.
Doug, who was in the passenger seat of the vehicle, fled the scene after the shooting began and ran into a nearby wooded area with Crum following. At this time, officials have not confirmed if the victims knew Crum prior to the incident.
Crum then traveled to the house of his ex-wife and her boyfriend, George Drane, where he reportedly injured Drane with the butt of his gun before allegedly shooting Debra Crum.
Following the second victim’s death, Crum is believed to have killed two construction workers, 76-year-old Charles Manuel and 59-year-old John Rorie, who were located on a road near his house.
Several minutes later, Crum reportedly entered the home of his stepfather, George McCain, 73, whom he was living with at the time. Crum then allegedly shot McCain and his stepfather’s sister, 78-year-old Lynda McCain.
