Mississippi family gunfight leaves two dead, two wounded

Two family members killed each other and wounded two relatives in a gunfight following a domestic altercation in rural northeast Mississippi last week, a law enforcement official said on Monday.

Mickey Sudduth and his father-in-law Robert Mize both fatally shot each other outside Mize's home near Aberdeen after a dispute involving Sudduth's estranged wife Jennifer on Friday afternoon, Monroe County Sheriff Cecil Cantrell said.

Sudduth got into an altercation with his wife, who is Mize's daughter, after arriving at his in-laws' house to pick up his two children for the weekend, Cantrell said.

She ran inside to tell her father that Sudduth tried to choke her. Mize then came outside with a Glock .40 pistol and engaged in a gunfight with Sudduth, who was also armed with a handgun, Cantrell said.

During the shootout, Sudduth and Mize shot each other dead, but not before Sudduth shot and wounded his wife and his mother-in-law, Janice Mize, Cantrell said. Both women were treated at a local hospital for non life-threatening injuries, Cantrell said.

The children, who are both under 10 years of age, were not hurt, Cantrell said. He described the incident as a case of domestic violence.

Monroe County Coroner Alan Gurley said each man was shot at least six times, local television news station WAPT reported.

Cantrell said Sudduth and his wife had been separated for at least four months. He said no charges would be filed.

Aberdeen is a city of about 5,600 people 122 miles (196 km) northwest of Birmingham, Alabama.

(Reporting by David Minsky; Editing by Curtis Skinner; Editing by Paul Tait)