National guardsman who just returned from deployment shot, killed at gas station

Published 9:23 pm Saturday, May 18, 2019

A Mississippi National Guard soldier who had just returned from a tour in Afghanistan was killed Saturday morning at gas station in Sardis.

Investigators say the shooting occurred at approximately 11:30 a.m. Saturday at a convenience store at the intersection of Highway 51 and Highway 315.

Panola County Sheriff Dennis Darby told local media that the victim was Robert Leon Robertson, 24. He had apparently returned to Mississippi in March after his deployment.

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Sheriff’s deputies arrested Mark Burton of Como and have charged him in Robertson’s death. Deputies told local media that multiple shots were fired in the incident. It was unclear how many times Robertson was struck or the motive for the shooting.