On 2-21-18 at approximately 10:00 pm, the Panola County Sheriff’s Office received a 911 call reporting a shooting on Private Road 622 off of County Road 222. It was also reported that there were possibly multiple victims and that the actor had left in one of the victim’s car with a small child still in the car seat. A description of the vehicle was given to responding officers. Prior to arriving on scene, officers discovered a gray Volkswagen sedan with shattered glass on the passenger’s side and an empty car seat in the back seat abandoned in the ditch on CR 222.  It was later determined that a passerby who lives in the community noticed the child in the car seat and removed her from the car and took her to his house to call 911. 

 

Upon arrival at the scene, two (2) victims were discovered. One victim was deceased lying face down on the ground in front of a residence on PR 622, and was later identified as Elania Johnson, age 44, of Longview, who had been shot six times, and another, identified as Raven Dotrey, age 21, of Longview was shot three times in the torso, but was alert and able to speak to officers. The two year old child was Dotrey’s daughter who had been removed from the car seat in the abandoned Volkswagen. She was transported to Good Shepard Medical Center in Longview. She told deputies the suspect was Elania Johnson’s boyfriend, possibly with the name of “Jeff.” She stated he was about 40 years old with a beard and dreadlock haircut. The suspect was later identified as Jeffrey Mickens, age 47, of 158 PR 622, Carthage. 

 

Dotrey said when they got to Mickens’ residence, he and Johnson got into an argument and he fired numerous shots into the car with the child still in the car seat in the back of the car. Both Dotrey and Johnson were struck by the bullets, but the child was not hit. Dotrey managed to get out of the car while Mickens reloaded his six shot revolver. Johnson was able to put the car in gear but eventually struck the corner of an adjacent house. Mickens ran to the car and pulled her out of the driver’s seat onto the ground. Dotrey was able to run to a nearby house and call 911. 

Mickens then got in the car, with the baby still in the car seat, and fled the scene, but abandoned it on CR 222. He then apparently travelled back to the scene on foot and snuck into the house of his next door neighbor. When deputies began searching the houses near the crime scene, when they approached the neighbor’s house, a shot rang out from inside the house, through the front door, narrowly missing a deputy who was standing just next to the door. Deputies took cover and were eventually able to establish cell phone contact with Mickens. He told the Sheriff’s Office negotiator he intended to commit “suicide by cop” and fired more shots through the front. For the next 10 hours communication between Mickens and the negotiator continued with him firing at least 9 more shots from inside the house.

 

A tactical team from the Longview Police Department arrived to assist Panola County Sheriff’s deputies and at about 10:20 am it was decided that the tactical team would use tear gas in an attempt to have Mickens surrender.  The projectiles were fired through the windows of the residence and within minutes, Mickens threw his weapon out of a window and surrendered with no resistance.

 

Mickens was transported to the Panola County Detention Center where he will be charged with Murder, Attempted Capital Murder of a Peace Officer, Aggravated Assault and Aggravated Kidnapping