Man suspected of killing mom, sisters in Mississippi is shot, killed by police in Arizona

A Mississippi man who was a suspect in a triple shooting that left his mother and two sisters dead was shot and killed by state troopers in Arizona, state law enforcement authorities said, according to The Clarion-Ledger.

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The bodies of the three women were found on Mother’s Day by police in Ridgeland, Mississippi, according to Ridgeland Police Chief Brian Myers.

Ridgeland is north of Jackson, Mississippi.

Police believe the women were shot to death in the house Saturday, Myers said.

The victims were identified as Ida Thomas Welch, 76; Vicky Renee Welch, 56; and Crystal Lynn Welch, 42. According to police, family members requested a welfare check at the home.

Police obtained an arrest warrant for Ida Welch’s son, Ivory James Welch III, according to Myers.

He left Mississippi after the shootings.

“His vehicle was seen leaving the scene (of the shooting), and we tracked it all the way through to Dallas and understood it was obvious he was on the run,” Myers said.

Eventually, his vehicle was spotted in Arizona, a spokesman for the Arizona Department of Public Safety said and Arizona Family reported .

Arizona State Troopers were first alerted to the sighting of Ivory Welch’s vehicle at 7:30 a.m. Monday around Safford, which is west of the New Mexico border.

Nearly three hours later, a spokesman said in a statement , Ivory Welch was spotted again on a nearby interstate, and officers moved to conduct a traffic stop and try to take him into custody.

Ivory Welch got out of his car and “presented a firearm, which resulted in a trooper-involved shooting,” the statement said.

The highway was shut down for three miles in that area for most of the day but reopened just before 9 p.m., Arizona Family reported.

According to Myers, Ivory Welch had problems in the past.

He said his department had contact with Ivory Welch in 2006 for domestic violence against another family member, and again in 2012 for assault.

In a statement, the American Civil Liberties Union of Mississippi said Crystal Welch was the president of its board of directors.

Crystal Welch was well-known for her legal and advocacy work in Mississippi, according to the Mississippi Free Press, of whom she was a board of director member.

At Mississippi College, Crystal Welch taught and practiced adoption law and youth court law. She also served as the supervising attorney for Mississippi College School of Law’s Family and Children’s Law Center; and served on numerous boards for legal and social-justice-oriented organizations.