Three people have been charged over the fatal shooting of two police officers during a traffic stop in the southern Mississippi city of Hattiesburg on Saturday night, authorities said.
The officers, Benjamin J. Deen, 34, and Liquori Tate, 25, were gunned down after one of them pulled over a Hyundai for a speeding violation, according to Warren Strain, a spokesman for the Mississippi Department of Public Safety.
Three suspects, including two brothers, were arrested in different locations after a manhunt that lasted into the early hours of Sunday morning, Strain said.
Marvin Banks, 29, was charged with two counts of capital murder, grand theft auto, and a felon in possession of a firearm; Joanie Calloway, 22, was charged with two counts of capital murder; and Curtis Banks, 26, was charged with accessory after the fact of capital murder.
The suspects fled after the incident, Strain said, with Marvin Banks alleged to have escaped in one of the officer’s vehicles.
Hattiesburg Mayor Johnny DuPree said during a news conference Sunday that the shooting occurred after Tate arrived on the scene to provide backup for Deen, who was first on the scene.
Other details about how the shooting incident unfolded remained vague on Sunday.
“We’re piecing all that together at this point. There’s still a good bit of investigating to do — there are several pieces of the puzzle that we need to bring together to bring clarity to what has happened here,” Strain said.
The Mississippi Bureau of Investigation has taken control of the investigation, DuPree said.
The officers were transported to the Forrest General Hospital, where they were pronounced dead, Strain said. DuPree said medics worked “feverishly” to save the men, but they had both lost too much blood.
Deen was a K9 handler, while Tate had been on the force for less than a year. DuPree said the loss of Tate, who had an “infectious smile” and Deen, who was a married father of two, was “a tragedy for all Americans.” He added that the officers were the first Hattiesburg cops to die in the line of duty in three decades. Mississippi Governor Phil Bryant said in a statement that he was “mourning” the loss of the officers. “This should remind us to thank all law enforcement for their unwavering service to protect and serve,” he wrote. MURDER SUSPECTS IDENTIFIED: If you have any information on Curtis Banks or Marvin Banks call your local agency. pic.twitter.com/Hfw99XJt2f -The Associated Press contributed to this report This story originally appeared on NBC News
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