Mississippi homicide suspect killed in Arizona after gunfight

PHOENIX — A Mississippi homicide suspect died on Monday after a shooting that involved troopers with the Arizona Department of Transportation, authorities said.

Ivory James Welch III killed three people on Sunday, according to the Ridgeland Police Department, which is in Mississippi.

One of his victims was 76-year-old Ida Welch, his mother, police said.

She and two other women, 56-year-old Vicky Renee Welch and 42-year-old Crystal Lynn Welch, were also found shot to death in a home in Ridgeland.

After an arrest warrant was issued, the U.S. Marshals Fugitive Task Force started searching for Welch, police said.

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The Arizona Department of Public Safety (DPS) learned of Welch’s presence in the state at around 7:30 a.m. on Monday.

The possible sighting was in the Safford area, which is around 165 miles east of Phoenix, DPS said.

DPS worked with the Greenlee County Sheriff’s Office and the Clifton Police Department to pinpoint Welch’s location.

Investigators found him in a vehicle on the U.S. 191 between Morenci and Clifton just before 10:30 a.m., DPS said.

Troopers tried to apprehend him, but during a traffic stop, Welch left the vehicle and pointed a firearm at troopers, DPS said.

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Troopers then opened fire on Welch.

The Ridgeland Police Department described the incident as a “gunfight” in a news release shared with media outlets.

Welch was declared dead on the scene, DPS said. No law enforcement personnel were injured.

Ridgeland Police Department Chief of Police Brian Myers expressed his gratitude to DPS in the news release.

“This investigation is a great example of how teamwork in law enforcement, as well as a great relationship with our media outlets, affords us swift justice for a grieving family,” Myers said in the release. “This horrific event will have a lasting effect on this family, the officers involved in this investigation as well as our brothers in Arizona law enforcement.”