Neshoba deputy back at work after investigation

By By Steve Gillespie / staff writer
July 31, 2002
After an internal investigation into the shooting of James Burnside, Deputy John Lilley is back at work.
Burnside, 40, a Neshoba County resident, allegedly led the deputy in a car chase Sunday night after he avoided a road block on Highway 488 west of Philadelphia.
Burnside reportedly left the vehicle in a wooded area about 4 miles away from the road block with Lilley in pursuit. Sheriff Glen Waddell said Burnside charged Lilley, hit him over the head several times with the deputy's flashlight, then wrestled him to the ground and was trying to get the officer's gun from him.
Lilley shot Burnside in the neck and in the mid-section, according to Waddell, who said the defendant was still University Medical Center in Jackson where he was airlifted after the incident.
Waddell said Burnside is doing well. He called the shooting a case of self-defense and said the Mississippi Highway Patrol is also investigating the shooting.
The sheriff said Burnside faces several charges, including aggravated assault on an officer and being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm.
Two of Burnside's children, ages 2 and 9, were in the car he was driving. Authorities contacted an aunt of the children who picked them up after the incident.