GREENVILLE, Miss. — A police officer was shot to death and several other people were injured by gunfire Tuesday night in the Mississippi Delta.
Greenville Police Department Detective Myiesha Stewart was killed as she and other officers responded to a call, according to Mississippi Public Safety Commissioner Sean Tindell. He provided no other details about the circumstances of Stewart’s killing, including whether a suspect has been identified.
Greenville, with a population of about 28,775, is close to the Arkansas state line, about 110 miles (180 kilometers) north of Jackson, Mississippi. News outlets reported that the shootings happened at the intersection of U.S. Highway 82 and Mississippi Highway 1.
“I am truly saddened by the tragic loss of Detective Stewart,” Republican Gov. Tate Reeves wrote Wednesday on Twitter. “Please join me in prayer for her family, her friends, and the entire Greenville Police Department.”
Two other Mississippi law enforcement officers have been killed on duty this year. Johnny Patterson was struck by a car Jan. 13 while directing traffic in front of an elementary school in Shannon, and he died eight days later. Patterson was working for the school and was assistant police chief in Verona. On June 9, Meridian Police Department officer Kennis Croom was shot to death while responding to a domestic violence call.
The Mississippi Bureau of Investigation is examining the shooting of Stewart, as it does with all shootings involving law enforcement officers in the state.
The Delta Democrat-Times reported gunshots and police activity occurred in several locations Tuesday in Greenville.
Mayor Errick D. Simmons said in a statement that he and Police Chief Marcus Turner Sr. met with Stewart’s family. Simmons asked the public for prayers and support “during this very difficult time.”
