A student pilot Cory Paterson who hijacked a jet from an airport posted a terrifying farewell message to the world on social media while still flying.
At around five in the morning, Cory Paterson, 29, boarded the jet at Tupelo Airport, and for the past five hours, he has been flying in circles above Mississippi.
According to reports, Patterson has spoken with the Tupelo Police Department and threatened to deliberately crash the Beechcraft King Air 90 jet into a Walmart.
Patterson wrote on Facebook in what appeared to be his farewell message: “Sorry everyone. Never really intended to cause harm to anyone. This isn’t your fault, and I adore my parents and sister. Goodbye.’
He frequently posts about travelling across the nation and is said to work at the Tupelo Regional Airport.
After several hours, the plane has now made a crash landing in a field close to Gravestown, and it is believed that Patterson has been taken into custody by the Benton County Sheriff’s Department.
According to reports from the location, the aircraft seemed to have suffered little damage despite coming to a stop more than four hours earlier.
Authorities dispersed as many people as they could during the Walmart evacuation, where the initial threat originated, and are requesting that locals avoid the area.
Witnesses indicate that Patterson circled the Walmart location before flying to the Toyota manufacturing facility in Blue Springs and finally landing in Ripley.
According to a statement from TPD, “At around 5:00 am TPD was notified that a pilot of an aeroplane was flying over Tupelo.
The pilot has spoken to E911 and has threatened to deliberately crash into Wal Mart on West Main.
In order to evacuate the stores and disperse customers as much as possible, TPD collaborated with Walmart West and Dodges on West Main.
The TPD and other emergency services in our region are still on alert as the situation is still developing.
Until the area is declared clear, residents are urged to stay away. The risk zone is much bigger than even Tupelo because of the mobility of that kind of aircraft.
The nine-seater, two-engine aircraft is believed to be owned by Southeast Aviation LLC.
The state’s emergency managers and law enforcement are constantly monitoring this hazardous scenario, according to Governor Tate Reeves.
“All residents should be vigilant and informed of updates from the Tupelo Police Department,” the statement reads.
‘We’re working closely with local investigators and are referring questions to law enforcement.’
The Mississippi Department of Public Safety did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
A spokesman for FBI’s Jackson field office said: ‘The FBI, in accordance with our state and local partners, are aware of the situation. This is an active and ongoing matter. We will provide additional information as we have it.’
Read More: Pilot of stolen plane threatens to crash it on Walmart in Tupelo, Mississippi
