Authorities said the suspected gunman barricaded himself inside the home before dying by suicide.
FLORENCE, Miss. — A Mississippi firearms businessman and his wife were shot to death Friday at a Rankin County home after a family land dispute turned violent, and the suspected gunman later died by suicide during a law enforcement standoff, authorities said.
Rankin County officials identified the victims as Walter E. Birdsong Jr., 62, and Amanda L. Birdsong, 43. Investigators identified the suspected shooter as Kurt Tyler Birdsong, 56, who authorities said was Walter Birdsong’s brother. The deaths brought a large police response to the 1400 block of Monterey Road near Florence and drew in local deputies, SWAT members, hostage negotiators and federal agencies because of concerns tied to the family’s firearms-related business.
The Rankin County Sheriff’s Office said deputies received a 911 call just before 4 p.m. May 8 reporting that two people had been shot and that an armed suspect had gone back inside a residence on the property. Sheriff Bryan Bailey said deputies learned after they arrived that multiple family members who lived on the property had been involved in an ongoing dispute over family land. Investigators believe the fight escalated that afternoon when one family member fatally shot two others. “It is just a sad situation for all of the family members,” Bailey said, adding that several relatives were at the scene after the shooting.
Deputies established a perimeter around the property and evacuated nearby residents as a precaution. The sheriff’s office said its SWAT team, negotiators and technical response personnel responded after the suspect barricaded himself inside the home. After armored vehicles arrived, officers made repeated attempts to contact Kurt Birdsong, but those efforts were unsuccessful, authorities said. Deputies later used armored and technical equipment to breach the residence. During a search of the home, they found Kurt Birdsong dead inside a bathroom from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound. Walter and Amanda Birdsong were pronounced dead at the scene, according to Rankin County officials.
The sheriff’s office said it asked for help from the FBI Jackson Field Office, the Mississippi Office of Homeland Security, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Clinton Bomb Squad after learning more about the family’s firearms-related business. Walter Birdsong was tied to W.E. Birdsong & Associates, a local firearms coating business known for protective finishes. Investigators said the added agencies were called because of a possible elevated threat to deputies and nearby residents. Authorities have not said that explosives were found, and they had not released a full evidence report as of Tuesday.
The family’s business and property history became part of the case because investigators said the dispute centered on land. Rankin County Investigator Tyler Burnell said the property had been purchased by Walter Earnest Birdsong Sr. and served as both a family home and the headquarters of W.E. Birdsong & Associates. After the elder Birdsong died in 2009, his sons inherited the land and business, Burnell said. Authorities said the brothers had argued over controlling ownership of the property for multiple days before the shooting. Officials have not released a detailed timeline of those arguments or said whether any court action was pending at the time.
Neighbors described the Monterey Road area as normally quiet and said the shooting stunned people who knew the family. Randy Mann, who said he has lived on Monterey Road for 40 years, described the Birdsongs as helpful and hard-working. “They were good hard-working people,” Mann said. “It is usually all good here, we hardly ever have problems here, but this is the worst I have seen in 40 years.” Another resident, Michael Blaine, said the killing was especially painful because it appeared to grow out of a dispute over land. Yellow crime scene tape and police lights remained part of the scene as investigators worked through the property.
The case was being handled as a double murder-suicide, with no active threat to the public after the standoff ended. The Rankin County Coroner’s Office identified the dead as Walter E. Birdsong Jr., Amanda L. Birdsong and Kurt Tyler Birdsong. Chief Deputy Coroner Cliff Dunlap responded to the scene and the deceased were taken to the coroner’s office. Investigators continued processing the crime scene after the residence was secured. The sheriff’s office said the FBI and ATF continued assisting local investigators as they reviewed the shooting, the standoff and any safety concerns tied to the property.
Authorities had not announced a final investigative report or released a full account of how the first shots were fired as of Tuesday. The next public milestone is expected to come from the sheriff’s office, the coroner’s office or assisting federal agencies as the evidence review continues.
Author note: Last updated May 12, 2026.