
One nearby resident, Billy Dorr, said he has lived across the street from the Tooker family for more than two decades.
He described the victim as a hardworking man who had retired from running an air conditioning company.
“It’s shocking,” Dorr said after hearing about his neighbor’s death. “I mean, we’ve been here 23, 24 years. Nothing like that ever happened. Very peaceful neighborhood.”
While Dorr said he didn’t know 49-year-old Gerald Joseph Tooker well, he remembered several strange interactions.
“I heard that, you know, he had some problems over the years from just different people. He did come over here one afternoon when I was out doing yard work, and he seemed like he was on something,” Dorr said.
He told News 5 that this violence has shaken what’s usually a peaceful community.
“I hate to see something like that happen in any neighborhood, but it really hits home when it’s right here,” Dorr said.
UPDATE (7:15 p.m.): News 5 has learned more information about the stabbing death that occurred in Jackson County.
The Jackson County Sheriff’s Office responded to a home invasion around noon today.
According to the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office, deputies found the suspect had fled, and the victims of the home invasion were unharmed.
Investigators identified the suspect to be Gerald Joseph Tooker, who had an address listed nearby.
After arriving at the residence of the listed address, his father, 72-year-old Gerald Fae Tooker, was found stabbed to death inside the home.
Deputies found the suspect barricaded in a back room and detained him. Deputy Chris Goff says he is not sure how many times Tooker stabbed his father, but they know at least once.
Tooker has a previous criminal history, with neighbors telling News 5 he had an alleged history of drug abuse.
Investigators found that his family’s home was broken into first, where Tooker killed his father. He then broke into the second home that had no relation to the suspect or his family.
Deputy Goff was unsure who originally called 911. It is unknown if Tooker was under the influence at the time of the murder and home invasion.
Tooker was taken to the Jackson County Adult Detention Center and charged with murder.
PREVIOUS REPORTING
JACKSON COUNTY, Miss. (WKRG) — A man in Jackson County is accused of stabbing his father to death, News 5 has learned.
According to the Jackson County Sheriff’s Department, the suspect, Gerald Joseph Tooker, stabbed the victim, Gerald Fae Tooker, on Thursday, Oct. 2, around noon.
After the stabbing, G.J. Tooker allegedly broke into a neighbor’s home and later returned to the scene of the stabbing after someone called 911.
The suspect was found hiding in the back of the home and is now in custody, according to the JCSD.
The attack reportedly occurred at 1229 Main St., in the St. Andrews community.
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