Mississippi Man Sentenced For Ambush Shooting In Pickens County

TUSCALOOSA, AL — A Columbus, Mississippi man will serve 25 years in prison for shooting a Pickens County man who was an extended family member in August 2020.

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24th Judicial Circuit District Attorney Andy Hamlin announced on Monday that Eric Daniel Jennings, 38, pleaded guilty to the first-degree assault of a 38-year-old Ethelsville man on the morning on Aug. 30, 2020 after he crossed state lines with the intent to shoot the man.

Hamlin said Jennings walked the final two miles to the residence after the truck he was driving broke down. He then reportedly sat in the victim’s truck and waited for him to leave for work around 4:30 a.m. that morning.

Jennings then shot the victim multiple times, before following him and shooting into the victim's house until he ran out of ammunition.

“This was a premeditated ambush,” Hamlin said. “The victim in this case came very close to losing his life. The evidence was strong and compelling. I’m glad we were able to take this offender off the streets. It seems lost in this day and time that the way that you combat violent crime is by sending the offender to prison. That’s where dangerous people belong."

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