Two Mississippi Police deputies were shot while pursuing a kidnapping suspect on the morning of Sept. 5, according to multiple reports.
One of the deputies from Madison County Sheriff’s Office was shot in the head at least once, and the other deputy was injured. It is not known whether the second deputy was shot or wounded by shattered glass, according to WLBT. The suspect was taken into custody by the Madison County Sheriff’s Office after being shot when the deputies’ returned fire.
The deputy who shot in the head is in a critical condition. He was airlifted to the University of Mississippi Medical Center in Jackson and admitted to the intensive care unit, according to a press conference held by Alan Jones, the chairman of the department of emergency medicine, the Clarion-Ledger reported.
“[We] received a patient with a gunshot wound. [The deputy] was stabilized and on arrival, [he] was awake and talking to us,” Jones said in the statement.
“He subsequently has been admitted to the intensive care unit in critical condition and will require some additional surgeries to help with his condition.”
The suspect was taken to hospital, but authorities did not specify which hospital, according to Clarion-Ledger.
The news outlet reported that the incident began around 7:15 a.m. when authorities received reports of a potential hostage situation. A man “had been abducted and was tied up in a home in the northeast part of Madison County,” according to Randy Tucker, the Madison County Sheriff. Authorities arrived on the scene, but the suspect escaped in a car, leading to a car chase through the northeastern side of the county, near Canton.
While the authorities were chasing the suspect down, Canton High, Goodloe Elementary, and Porter Middle Schools were placed on lockdown. A Canton Public School District statement released on Facebook said none of the students were in any immediate danger. But the precaution was needed to ensure students’ safety while the pursuit was going on. WLBT reported that the lockdown was lifted after authorities captured the suspect.
The pursuit ended when the suspect wrecked his car by driving into a ditch. The suspect exited the vehicle and started shooting at the deputies and police officers in pursuit, according to Clarion-Ledger. Authorities fired back, one bullet appeared to strike the suspect, incapacitating him. The shooting took place on Highway 16 near the intersection of Highway 43 in Canton.
“There were injuries to the officers and the suspect,” Tucker said.
In the statement from the Sheriff posted on Facebook, Tucker wrote that the investigation would be turned over to the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation.
“As protocol dictates, when officers are involved in a shooting, the case is turned over to the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation. Since this is an ongoing investigation; we are not able to make any further comment,” the statement read.
“The findings of MBI’s investigation will be turned over to the District Attorney’s office.”
Tucker stated that though the names of the deputies would not be released, he asked the public to “please keep the families of those shot [on Sept. 5] in your thoughts and prayers.”
