Judge Charles Smith said he feels “greatly relieved” following the arrest of a man suspected of shooting him last March.

“It’s just a good thing to know that they’ve got the person they think who did it behind bars,” Smith, chancellor for the 12th Chancery Court District, said Monday. 

The Mississippi Bureau of Investigation announced on Friday that it had charged Ernest Edwards, 41, of Meridian in connection with the shooting. Edwards’ charge is attempted capital murder.

He is being held in the Lauderdale County Detention Center and is not eligible for a bond due to the nature of the crime and other pending charges.

A year after the shooting outside the Lauderdale County Courthouse, Smith spoke with The Meridian Star about his recovery and about the past year. 

“I’ve been doing really good,” he said. “It’s been a long, slow, but steady healing process.”

Smith was shot when he had just stepped away from his truck on the morning of March 16, 2020. Deputies responded to the incident, and Smith was taken to the hospital.

Smith said the bullet entered through his left hip and knocked the top of his femur off. The bullet then came out where his torso meets his leg.

“It did a lot of damage there, along with nerve damage, which went down my leg and into my foot,” he said. “But the doctors did a fantastic job in putting it back together.”

Doctors at Anderson Regional Medical Center performed an emergency procedure on him, and then he was airlifted to the University of Mississippi Medical Center.

An orthopedic surgeon, a wound doctor and a plastic surgeon treated him there. The orthopedic surgeon used three screws to attach the top of his femur to the rest of the bone.

“The bone has healed well,” Smith said. “It is holding.”

The bullet wound has also healed, he said. 

Smith returned to work last May, using a wheelchair and crutches, then moving up to a cane. He can now walk unassisted. 

Smith noted that the nerves in his leg are still healing, and he often experiences swelling in his foot. In court, instead of typical dress shoes, he wears a pair of sneakers. 

“I’m still wearing my tennis shoes,” he said.

Looking back on a tough year, Smith credits the community for its role in his recovery.

“I just really appreciate all the support, prayers and the well wishes of all the thousands of people out there that I’ve heard from and heard were praying for me,” he said.