[MS] Sheriff Bright chose to kill himself at his girlfriend's house

...Batesville Mayor Jerry Autrey said [Panola County Sheriff Hugh] Bright killed himself while at the home of his girlfriend, shortly after spending the morning with his wife. "He went to church with his wife, then they had Sunday dinner at the country club and they say he seemed normal"...

Very domestic. 

MOTIVE QUESTIONED IN SHERIFF'S SUICIDE Services will be held Wednesday for Panola County official
Clarion-Ledger
Paul P. Quinn
September 29, 2009
[Excerpts] BATESVILLE — Investigators still are trying to piece together why Panola County Sheriff Hugh Bright shot and killed himself. Asked what he thought happened, Panola County District Attorney John Champion said, "Unfortunately, we've dealt with a lot of situations like these in my career ... and there are always a lot of unanswered questions. I think it's safe to say this was a surprise." Bright, 50, who was elected in 2005, shot himself around 2 p.m. Sunday... Batesville Mayor Jerry Autrey said Bright killed himself at his girlfriend's home, but Champion referred to the location as "a friend's house on College Street." A woman who answered the door at 214 College St. wouldn't comment. At the time, a cleaning crew was pulling up carpet and taking it out to a van. Bright was married to Mary Nell Meek Fowler Bright and had a stepdaughter, Ginger Fowler Lowrie, and a stepson, John W. Fowler. Mary Bright could not be reached. Autrey said Bright and Mary Nell Bright had Sunday dinner together before to his death. Johnny Fowler of Batesville, the father of Bright's two stepchildren, said Bright raised the children as though they were his own. Despite their relationship, Fowler said he and Bright were good friends... "We all loved him. He may have done some things we might not agreed with, but we loved him"... Gary Thompson, president of the Board of Supervisors, said there was too little time to set a special election this year... Thompson said he had been friends with Bright for 25 years and is shocked over what happened. "He was one person I never had any idea would do something like this," Thompson said. "His No. 1 commitment was to provide law enforcement to the county." Bright had worked for the Sheriff's Department for more than two decades... Allison Bright, who is married to Bright's brother, said she has known him for 12 years and never imagined something like this. "He was a good guy," Allison Bright said. "He tried to help whoever he could. He's always been there for his family, no matter what. I never thought he would do that. He had too much pride"... [Full article here]


PANOLA COUNTY SHERIFF DEAD OF APPARENT SUICIDE
[Excerpts] Panola County Sheriff Hugh Bright died from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound Sunday while at his girlfriend's Batesville home, officials said. Neither Batesville police nor the Panola County Sheriff's Department returned calls. About 2 p.m. Sunday, authorities were called to a home on College Street, Coroner Gracie Guledge said. She wouldn't comment further. Batesville Mayor Jerry Autrey said Bright killed himself while at the home of his girlfriend, shortly after spending the morning with his wife. "He went to church with his wife, then they had Sunday dinner at the country club and they say he seemed normal," Autrey said. "It's kind of a mystery how and why this happened. I don't know what all was going on in his head." Autrey said it was common knowledge in the community that Bright had a girlfriend. He said authorities have questioned the woman. "I don't know if this is domestic or stress from the job," the mayor said... Mississippi Department of Public Safety spokesman Jon Kalahar said local authorities have not asked for state officials to assist in the investigation... [Full article here]


AUTOPSY OF PANOLA CO. SHERIFF UNDERWAY
olemisslife.com, Associated Press
28 September 2009
[Excerpts] Authorities say an autopsy was being performed Monday on the body of Panola County Sheriff Hugh Wayne “Shot” Bright, though it appears the gunshot wound that killed him was self-inflicted. District Attorney John Champion said Bright was found dead at a friend’s house in Batesville Sunday afternoon. He said authorities are interviewing people to find out if Bright had been depressed or if something had been bothering him. Champion told The Associated Press in a telephone interview Monday that the death appears to be suicide, but no note has been found... [Full article here]
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