Miss. police officer injured in shooting

JACKSON, Miss. — After an emotional week in which two Hattiesburg, Miss., officers were killed in the line of duty, the news that a Jackson police officer was "down" Sunday night shook Jackson Police Department to the core.

Police spokesperson Colendula Green confirmed that an officer was injured but no one was killed. Several shots were fired, one of which hit the officer in the leg.

Officers were clearing the parking lot of the Express Fuel Food Mart at the corner of Bailey Avenue and Northside Drive between 9 and 9:30 p.m. when shots were fired, Green said. Store co-owner Desmond Brown said police shot back.

"Gunshots started happening, bullets started flying. JPD started shooting back wildly," Brown said. "There are bullet holes in that canopy."

He said police had been harassing customers for four hours, driving them out of the parking lot and out of the store, and that an officer had told him he had seen someone drinking and "smoking dope" on the premises. Brown, who has often claimed harassment by police but does not have a felony conviction on his record from the state of Mississippi, has been arrested at least twice since April 1. One of those arrests was for allegedly selling spice out of the gas station.

"They incited what happened here tonight," Brown said.

Locals at the scene confirmed that there is often trouble at that store. One man even told reporters it's just a matter of time before someone is killed there.

Several people were taken into custody, but no names or charges were released.

"We have several people that we have taken into custody, but we're not going to release any information until they have been interviewed, so we haven't charged anyone," Green said.

The wounded officer was taken to the University of Mississippi Medical Center.

Officers Benjamin Deen and Liquori Tate were killed May 9 in Hattiesburg.

"We just had two officers that were buried in Hattiesburg, so we're very emotional right now," Green said. "When we got the call, I was like, 'Oh my God.' I just got to praying."