Small-town Preacher Shoots One Of Last Lab Monkeys That Escaped Mississippi Crash

George Barnett’s activity arsenic a small-town pastor intends folks astir apt won’t situation him erstwhile he tells of nan time he picked up a hunting firearm and took purpose astatine an escaped rhesus monkey successful agrarian Mississippi.

What started arsenic a regular sojourn to his mom’s location successful Vossburg connected Monday is now nan latest section successful nan not-so-tall communicative that captivated overmuch of nan state, aft a carrier of investigation primates overturned successful Jasper County conscionable earlier Halloween.

Barnett’s woman spotted nan runaway monkey arsenic a blur of fur crossing adjacent a road exit ramp precocious Monday afternoon. Once successful nan woods, it scampered into a character and flashed its teeth. Barnett, 45, grabbed his firearm and fired twice, he said, sending nan animal crashing to nan ground.

Jasper County Sheriff's Department

“As soon arsenic I saw it, nan only point I thought astir was, ‘What if this point attacks 1 of those group that I grew up with, aliases my children?’” Barnett said.

The monkey was 1 of 3 escapees from past week’s accident, erstwhile a motortruck collapsed while carrying 21 primates from nan Tulane National Biomedical Research Center adjacent New Orleans.

Barnett was nan 2nd Mississippi resident to return nan monkey business into their ain hands. On Sunday, Jessica Bond Ferguson opened occurrence aft her 16-year-old boy saw a monkey extracurricular their home adjacent Heidelberg, sidesplitting nan animal.

“I did what immoderate different mother would do to protect her children,” she told The Associated Press.

George and Kerri Barnett.Courtesy George Barnett

That leaves one runaway still missing, according to nan authorities Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks, which warned that it whitethorn beryllium aggressive.

Residents’ fears were partially driven by incorrect accusation that circulated conscionable aft nan crash, erstwhile nan Jasper County Sheriff’s Office warned that nan monkeys carried diseases, including Covid, hepatitis C and herpes. Authorities killed 5 of nan monkeys adjacent nan clang segment based connected those concerns, which turned retired to beryllium false, Jasper County Sheriff Randy Johnson said.

He confirmed nan latest monkey shooting connected Monday.

Tulane clarified aft nan clang that nan monkeys “had not been exposed to immoderate infectious agents” and sent a squad to assist. Thirteen of nan monkeys reached their planned destination past week, according to nan university. Animals authorities organizations, for illustration PETA, said nan mishap highlighted nan plight of animals utilized successful investigation and called for much transparency, including nan merchandise of nan monkeys’ veterinary records.

On Monday, PreLabs, a biomedical investigation company, said nan monkeys were theirs.

“We are cooperating pinch authorities and reviewing each information procedures to guarantee nan continued wellbeing of some nan animals and nan community,” the connection said.

The institution did not respond to questions from NBC News.

On Oct. 28, a motortruck carrying rhesus monkeys from Tulane University collapsed successful Mississippi.Jasper County Sheriff's Department

Kristen Moore, head of wildlife for nan Hattiesburg Zoo, said she understands nan worries, but she hopes nan nationalist will heed officials’ proposal to enactment clear of nan past monkey. The primates, autochthonal to Asia, mostly for illustration moving distant complete attacking.

And for those wondering, they’re typically herbivores. So, pets should beryllium OK.

“If you person a cat, they’re not going to pursuit that,” she said.

Barnett initially thought his wife, Kerri, was joking erstwhile she pointed retired nan furry animal moving crossed nan roadworthy soon aft 4 p.m. Monday. They had conscionable taken nan exit to his mother’s house, pinch their 2 young sons successful nan car.

“Babe, there’s 1 of those monkeys,” he recalled Kerri saying.

She was right.

“This monkey was conscionable stepping crossed nan street,” Barnett said. “Almost for illustration he owned nan neighborhood.”

One time earlier, Barnett was getting fresh for religion erstwhile he heard astir Ferguson’s story.

Now, he was dialing 911 to study his ain sighting successful Vossburg, astir 100 miles eastbound of nan state’s capital.

“We conscionable saw 1 of nan monkeys correct disconnected Exit 118,” he told nan dispatcher, according to a signaling obtained by NBC News. “It’s sitting connected nan broadside of nan roadworthy correct disconnected nan exit.”

Barnett’s 7- and 8-year-old boys successful nan backseat became hysterical. Normally they emotion playing extracurricular astatine their grandmother’s, but they’d been staying indoors nan past fewer days while nan primates were connected nan loose.

Barnett dropped his children disconnected astatine his mom’s, grabbed a firearm and headed back.

He walked into nan woods, wherever nan monkey had taken refuge successful a tree.

An knowledgeable squirrel and cervid hunter, he estimates nan animal was 35 to 40 pounds. (Generally, nan monkeys are 17 to 20 pounds, Moore said.) After he took 2 shots, nan monkey dropped to nan crushed and took off, he said. Barnett didn’t pursuit aft it.

George Barnett, shown pinch his wife, Kerri, said he usually hunts squirrel and deer. Courtesy of George Barnett

Two men successful a achromatic motortruck who Barnett believes were pinch a carrier institution soon arrived. They tried to way nan monkey based connected a way of blood, past sewage an assistance from a drone that could observe nan animal’s assemblage heat, Kerri said. It was acheronian by nan clip a worker emerged pinch nan deceased primate.

Kerri documented nan night connected Facebook Live. The videos drew immoderate pushback interspersed pinch praise, but Barnett believes he made nan correct choice. Most critics weren’t locals.

“They’re not adjacent astir here, truthful they don’t person that fear,” he said.

Meanwhile, he said he’s heard from congregants astatine his religion successful Buckatunna, astir 40 miles away, who were excited astir his adventure. He’s anticipating immoderate questions astatine Wednesday night’s Bible study.

Back successful Heidelberg, a short region from nan mishap site, Mayor Robert Barnett (no narration to George) said online jokes astir nan apocalypse person been circulating among nan town’s astir 600 residents. Crews successful protective instrumentality person been spotted connected nan area’s highways. The politician noted lightly there’s nary quarantine successful effect — he doesn’t want locals to beryllium acrophobic aliases visitors to enactment away.

“I hated it happened successful this type of way,” he said, “but astatine slightest group cognize astir Heidelberg correct now.”