JASPER COUNTY, Miss. (WDAM) – George and Kerri Barnett said they were in the car with their two sons Monday night, headed to visit George\u2019s mother, when Kerri saw a rhesus monkey crossing the street. <\/p>\n
This sighting was just off Exit 118 on Interstate 59, about one mile from where a truck crashed last Tuesday and three monkeys escaped.<\/p>\n
Questions connected to escaped monkeys remain unanswered.<\/p>\n
The Barnetts said that from that initial spotting, their top concern was the community.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019re only doing what you need to do to protect your community and this whole county,\u201d said George Barnett. \u201cAnd then to hear people saying, you know, \u2018You\u2019re wrong, you\u2019re going to hell,\u2019 and all of this stuff, that kind of hurts.\u201d<\/p>\n
George Barnett said this was a road they traveled frequently.<\/p>\n
\u201cJust coming up to see mom,\u201d he said. \u201cNever thought we would be on a safari.\u201d<\/p>\n
He said he may not know everything about monkeys, but he does know they shouldn\u2019t be in Mississippi.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was bigger than just shooting at a monkey,\u201d George Barnett said. \u201cIt was taking into consideration all these people that live right there across that bridge.\u201d<\/p>\n
Kerri Barnett said she saw the monkey first.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe said, \u2018Babe, there\u2019s a monkey,\u2019 and I was like, \u2018Yeah, right,\u2019\u201d George Barnett said. \u201cAnd I just casually glanced over, and it was a monkey crossing the street, almost like it owned the neighborhood.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd it crossed over the road, and it sat right here on the side and crossed its arms.\u201c<\/p>\n
Barnett went three minutes up the road to his mother\u2019s house to grab his gun and drop off his two sons. <\/p>\n
He said when he returned, there was another man there who also saw the monkey. <\/p>\n
The man told Barnett the monkey had run up a tree.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen I saw it, it opened its mouth at me,\u201d George Barnett said. \u201cAnd I saw these long canines.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd later that night, one of the guys that was down here to capture it said that\u2019s their warning sign, like they\u2019ll show you their teeth, and if you don\u2019t leave then, then they\u2019ll come after you.\u201d<\/p>\n
As all of this unfolded, Kerri Barnett waited in the car, unsure of what would come next.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re used to hunting deer,\u201d she said. \u201cWe\u2019re used to hunting squirrel. But not a monkey.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo, I immediately started praying because you never know.\u201d<\/p>\n
George Barnett said the monkey did not react to the first shot but ran about 30 yards away after he fired a second, 7-mm shot.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd then the guys that were here from Maryland, they pulled up immediately after I shot because they got the call from 911,\u201d he said. \u201cAnd they jumped out with their rifles. So, I was like, \u2018Were y\u2019all going to shoot it?\u2019 And he was like, \u2018Yes.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Barnetts said one man went into the woods and carried the monkey out in a bag.<\/p>\n
They were told to put their phones away.<\/p>\n
Initially, only George Barnett was allowed to see the animal.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was like, \u2018Hey, man, you know, it\u2019s like 10 other people out here that want to see this thing,\u2019 George Barnett said. \u201dLike this community needs closure.”<\/p>\n
Now, the couple said they feel relieved, although they never want to hurt anything or anyone.<\/p>\n
The community\u2019s peace was a priority, they said.<\/p>\n
\u201cMore peaceful now because our kids are up here maybe every other day, outside playing,\u201d Kerri Barnett said. \u201cThis is the country. This is where they love to be. So, it\u2019s more peace for me. \u201c<\/p>\n