2 Mississippi officers fatally shot; suspect being sought

[Archae]

Source: WBAY-TV, ABC affiliate in Green Bay, WI

HATTIESBURG, Miss. (AP) — A coroner says two Mississippi police officers have died after being shot in the line of duty.

Forrest County Coroner Butch Benedict told the Jackson Clarion-Ledger (http://on.thec-l.com/1GWpqRp ) Saturday night that both Hattiesburg officers had died. They’d been taken to the hospital, and it wasn’t immediately clear if they died there or earlier.

Hattiesburg Mayor Johnny DuPree says authorities are searching for the suspect. He’s urging residents to stay inside their homes during the search.

Read more: http://wbay.com/ap/officials-2-mississippi-police-officers-shot-1-fatally/

---

Tragic.

[GGJohn]

1. My condolences to the families of these 2 slain officers.

I hope they catch this POS alive, give him a fair trail and if convicted, sentence him to LWP, but it sounds like he's not interested in being taken alive.

[yeoman6987]

2. Horrible news

Hope they find them and put them on trial. Obviously cops are sitting ducks. We need to do something to protect them....yesterday. Bulletproof vests are not enough. Poor Hattisburg...sad day for everyone in the town.

[Angel Martin]

3. police body armour

i'm so sorry to see this.

i'm surprised how few police officers in the US wear body armour.

although with some of the recent shootings, with officers shot in the face, it wouldn't have mattered.

[Ex Lurker]

7. The light undershirt type garments don't offer much protection against modern high powered weapons

and the heavier armor is hot, uncomfortable, and restricts movement. And of course no type of armor covers the entire body.

[jwirr]

17. The police are targets for both domestic and foreign terrorists. But I suspect they are also

victims of blowback from the shootings we have been protesting here on DU. The last is what we need to deal with first by getting the system back in working condition. The sooner race relations begin to improve the better. And that involves change in the system.

Also the bundy type protesters also think of the police as a good target for their hatred of government. We need laws that treat that more harshly. And those laws need to be enforced.

Foreign terrorism against the police force is new since ISIS but it is not surprising. The local policeman is the easiest person in a uniform to get at. And I do not see this improving.

Very sorry for the families of the policemen.

[yeoman6987]

22. Oh I think there is a lot to what you wrote

The entire law enforcement needs a do over.

[christx30]

65. The murder of police officers is

already illegal. What else are you looking for?

[jwirr]

66. In the case of bundy type murders - enforcement. In the case of race problems - some recognition

on the part of the police that it IS blowback and that blowback comes when their actions are not justified. Until they are ready to help make the situation better - they are going to continue to be the target.

As far as ISIS is concerned - who knows? Most of these terrorists are willing to die for the cause. And that is not going to change.

[NBachers]

4. This is bad news

[muriel_volestrangler]

5. 2 brothers suspected; 1 is in custody

Two Hattiesburg police officers were killed in the line of duty Saturday night after a routine traffic stop.
...
Hattiesburg Police Department spokesman Lt. Jon Traxler named brothers Curtis Banks, 26, and Marvin Banks, 29, as suspects in relation to the shootings. Both are Hattiesburg residents. Each have been arrested on drugs and weapons charges in the past.

Lamar County authorities arrested Marvin Banks shortly before 1 a.m. Sunday. He was taken to Troop J of the Mississippi Highway Patrol, where he was questioned by the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation.
...
Warren Strain, a spokesman for the Mississippi Department of Public Safety, said one officer stopped a 2000 Gold Cadillac Escalade in an industrial corridor about 8:30 p.m. Saturday, a second officer arrived to assist him and shots were fired.

http://www.clarionledger.com/story/news/2015/05/09/two-hattiesburg-police-officers-killed/27072893/

[Ex Lurker]

6. Both in custody now NT

[840high]

14. I think one of the

brother's girlfriend in custody, too. Tragic.

[giftedgirl77]

26. It's one of the brother's & his gf that have been charged with

Capital Murder the other brother has been charged with accessory & a few other crimes.

[justhanginon]

8. How very, very sad. May the officers RIP and

may the perpetrators rot in prison for the rest of their lives.

[7962]

9. After a simple traffic stop. Just awful

This is what the death penalty is for. Killers took the cop car after the shooting. No doubt that they are the killers; likely on dashcam. I guess we'll find that out at some point

[samsingh]

10. how many simple traffic stops result in the death of the person being pulled over?

[7962]

12. THIS one didnt. As I said, lets see what the dashcam shows.

They took the cop car. Its not likely that these guys were defending themselves against the cops

[kath]

15. Yes. WAY more common than this scenario.

[jwirr]

18. More now that everyone and their dog own a gun.

[NobodyHere]

39. Gun ownership rate is dropping in the US

http://www.motherjones.com/kevin-drum/2012/03/chart-day-gun-ownership-30-year-decline

[jwirr]

40. Good.

[GGJohn]

41. Or, less people are reporting that they have a firearm in the home.

I know I wouldn't tell a stranger, whether it's a poll, door to door, phone, etc., that I have a firearm and I'll bet that's why polls show less firearms owners now.

[PosterChild]

31. Why would a traffic stop lead ....

.... to the death of the one pulled over? Because, as in this case, the cop's life is threatened by the one pulled over. Unlike this case, the cops are more likely to prevail.

I've read somewhere that traffic stops are one of the most dangerous of police duties.

[Comrade Grumpy]

67. It escalated from a "routine traffic stop" to an attempted vehicle search.

The first cop was the gung-ho drug dog handler. He somehow established probable cause to search the vehicle. That's when the shooting occurred.

This is war on drugs policing. Usually it's the civilians who end up dead.

[samsingh]

11. there was a time when i would have asked the perpretators be locked away forever

but now, I have to wonder and ask were they fighting for their lives against the police?

I don't trust the police anymore and their actions have made it self defense to fight back in even the simplest stops - running away, raising your arms has still resulted in the death of the person being pulled over.

in a country awash with guns, there is a tipping point.

[heaven05]

13. .........

[kath]

16. Why am I supposed to be more upset about these deaths than all the others that occur every day?

[GGJohn]

19. They're's always one in the crowd.

Who the hell said you should be more upset?

[vkkv]

21. We Should be upset about ALL pointless gun deaths.

If you aren't upset, something is wrong and if we are supposed to believe that officers' lives are any more important... Fuck'em.
Public servants get far leaner sentences after committing a crime than Joe Blow, while they really should receive stiffer sentences for destroying the public's trust.

[kath]

38. ya got that right. Their sentences should be at least double, since they destroy the public's trust.

They are supposed to be public servants, instead many of them think they have the right to be judge, jury and executioner. Fuck that shit!

[BojackFan]

46. Who told you that you were supposed to feel anything?

Just go about your business.

[bvf]

50. Indeed.

The lives of cops matter exactly as much as those of other people.

This seeming effort to elevate them to some higher status is really annoying.

[PersonNumber503602]

62. On the flip-side, if one is upset about the killing of innocent civilians

Last edited Tue May 12, 2015, 07:15 AM - Edit history (1)

then that person should also be upset about the killing of innocent cops. I say innocent, because I will not assume these cops are not innocent just because some other cops have done some horrible things. So unless there is video of these cops jumping out of the car guns blazing, then I consider them innocent. If these cops did that then this would be all over the news, and rightfully so. However, I suspect someone saying "why should I care about these guys dying?" would not be viewed in a very positive light.

[bvf]

63. No one life is worth more or less than any other.

That's all I'm saying.

[vkkv]

20. Guns don't kill people! n/t

[nolabear]

23. So, I have a lot of family in MS law enforcement.

They are tremendously upset over this. They are angry and afraid and, as people do under those circumstances, they feel as though these horrific deaths are not getting any attention while those perpetrated by the police get demonstrations and protests and media attention.

I ask you for a minute to drop the distortions of this. The point of view IS distorted, and has an us-and-them mentality that is terrible to see among powerful people who ideally would be our friends and protectors. But the anger and fear is real, and I don't think it's lost on anybody that someone has to put down the rage and open their hands and try to come together.

As far as I can tell this particular crime was in the realm of crazy encounter that somehow went berserk. Did the spate of police-related shootings influence it? I don't know. It sure influences our reactions to it. But it's still a horror. People are dead. They'll never be alive again. There is more often than not another way if we on all sides of this can dial back the reactionary rhetoric and be humble enough to say that we as a whole add to problems that individuals have to pay for with their lives.

We have the power to either cast stones or build bridges. I try every day, with family whose feelings sometimes make me crazy. I fail a lot. But no matter how anyone else feels about it, I know I'm doing the best I can to, against everything my rage and sense of being treated unfairly tells me, put those stones down and extend that open hand. I hope others will too.

[vkkv]

24. Then police officers need to come out AGAINST police violence

to rid police depts of violent, paranoid, short-fused cops instead of PROTECTING bad cops.

Start arresting bad COPS - stop with this "paid leave" bullshit.

[GGJohn]

28. This has absolutely nothing to do with bad cops,

this is about 2 MS. police officers being murdered by 3 POS and us expressing sympathies for their families and the community.
You come into this thread and shit all over it, take it some place else.

[vkkv]

55. Do you actually KNOW the suspects motives? Really?

This a breaking news place. It is not YOUR place to define this entire post as strictly a place to mourn for the victims.
It's a news piece.

[nolabear]

32. That's what I mean about stones.

I agree with you. They do. But I hear not a word of sadness over the deaths of two men who were killed. The feelings among law enforcement are defensive and deeply entrenched, whether you or I agree with them or not. They won't change by magic. We have the power to either encourage them to think more wholly about those who do abuse power or we can drive them back into their defenses. Guarantees? No. But I can guarantee that your way will continue the battle. I say this with respect, though I know that's hard to convey here.

[vkkv]

53. No, since these P.D.s are taking defensive posture, they are not going to be 'encouraged to..

think more wholly'.

Cops are resisting body cams! I think that tells us PLENTY about how much they are willing to comply with law.
They will "continue the battle" and place blame on the victim and accept no responsibility.

"" We have the power to either encourage them to think more wholly "" - Yes, easy, they should be out of a job if they don't follow the law.

[vkkv]

25. Did your law enforcement relatives support Darrell Wilson or Mike Brown?

Ask them, then let us know.

[GGJohn]

29. What relevency is that to this thread? eom.

[vkkv]

52. A) Nola Bear said he has relatives in Police Depts. - I was asking NolaBear about his

relatives support for either Mike Brown or Darrel Wilson - my post very much relates.

I never did get a straight answer.

[nolabear]

34. No. They didn't. They're deeply entrenched in their anger.

And I'm working as hard as I can to talk to them, to let them know I'm interested in their feelings and that I still believe they need to hear those of the people in Ferguson and Baltimore and everywhere. I'd say the same to anyone who just rages back. It might shore up the sense of rightness but it does nothing to solve the problem. "Right" people do terrible things every day.

[vkkv]

54. "No, they didn't" What? I asked, who did your law enforcement relatives support? Brown OR Wilson?

[nolabear]

57. Ah, my apology. I misread the question. Note that you assumed I wasn't giving you a straight answer.

That's what I mean by throwing stones. I wasn't evading. I misunderstood.

My family supports Wilson. They feel put upon. I support Brown. It's a big and painful difference between us. In order not to back them into a defense position and hold the hope of moving things inches if not miles, I try to respect that, distorted as I think it is, it IS how they see things and we won't get anywhere if I snarl and tell them their way of seeing things is uninteresting to me and that they must just change.

[vkkv]

61. OK thanks

I'm not the slightest bit surprised. Even Fire Dept people I know here in Calif. support law enforcement types. They are all part of the same team in a sense and they are going to protect each other.

[nolabear]

64. I wonder if the constant stress makes them develop a trauma bond.

The awful thing about that is that in order to maintain the bond you have to justify and continue the state of feeling threatened by "them." If you know them it's harder on you to shoot them, so they can't be human.

I wouldn't do it for all the money in the world.

Thanks for talking about it with me.

[snooper2]

51. then what

[giftedgirl77]

27. & cops aren't building any bridges right now.

[nolabear]

33. No, they're not. At least not many. So here we are. Now what?

Would you have this little war continue? How can we help them build? It won't happen if we don't step outside of the finger pointing and rise above. If you can think of something you can do rather than waiting for someone else to change without incentive, I'm open to hearing it.

[giftedgirl77]

35. Oh I don't know maybe when one of their own murders

someone they don't immediately go into cover up mode & stop all the executions so that every minority in this country doesn't feel like they have a target on their back.

The cops are the ones that need to start rebuilding this trust not the citizens. I most definitely do not trust the cops in the south, I know which towns are still heavily populated by the klan & stay well away from them. I would drive around Mississippi just as a precaution.

[nolabear]

36. Again, though, that's expecting a magical change in them.

What would happen if there WAS a major outreach to the police by people who were willing to say "We recognize there is a huge problem between us. You see all too many of us as the enemy and we see you as the enemy. We also know we call on you to risk your lives for us and we're glad you're there. There must be some way we can work together in order to ensure trust. Let's find a way."

What way? Well, restructuring the internal examination process and opening it up to non-police input. Those cameras are a great idea for everyone concerned. Having the police live in the communities they're policing and interacting in positive ways. Letting kids see them in non-conflict situations. Engaging in appreciative activities for the good they do. Asking advice on how to stay safe and avoid becoming crime victims. This is all ballpark, but you get the idea. Not being the enemy.

I grew up a strange little liberal in Mississippi. I get very nervous when in the presence of the police anywhere. Nastiest encounter I've had with one was last year here in Seattle. It's a real problem. We can't just be mad and expect better.

[giftedgirl77]

37. Community policing disappeared along time ago & I think

that was one of the major downfalls of the trust between people & the organizations. Not allowing the communities to have any type of helping hand in policing their communities puts up walls & causes the police forces to become looked upon as outsiders that are there solely to bust up their communities & look up their people usually with unnecessary violence. What needs to be looked at is hiring practices, & more focus on hiring within the community rather than outside the area. They also need to review the practices of trumping up charges just to enhance arrest quotas unnecessarily, if a citation will suffice as well as working on community relations.

Many people in neighborhoods such as these would be happy to work with the police in programs such as community policing if the truly felt the police were sincere in there actions. That's why police substations are so essential. It helps to build trust within the community when you know your officers.

[nolabear]

58. I absolutely agree. I hope this becomes a trend in communities. Take Hattiesburg.

These officers were small town police and known to most of the community. There is general shock and sadness in that town, and I think it's largely because they were community members. And the problem with quotas and trumped up charges is a real problem that needs serious monitoring, as does the issue of funding things with ticket revenue. It doesn't take a genius to realize what a fool idea that is.

Thanks for the discussion.

[giftedgirl77]

59. No problem, it was nice to finally have a real one for a change.

[n2doc]

30. It is front page on LATimes site

And on many other sites.
http://www.latimes.com/nation/nationnow/la-na-nn-mississippi-officers-slain-20150509-story.html

RIP officers. I hope the violence goes no further.

[steve2470]

56. +1 nt

[47of74]

42. And guess who our local head teabagger is blaming?

And he's going on about how the Senate shouldn't confirm any more of the President's "racist" officials. Fucker makes me sick. The bodies of the victims aren't even cold and he's blaming the President for their deaths.

[Archae]

43. Who is this person?

The Teabagger, that is.

And does he/she hold any office?

[47of74]

44. No, it's some local asshole. (With apologies to assholes)

[BojackFan]

47. The bodies are't even cold

And there are people blaming the murdered cops. And the police in general.

[romanic]

45. May they R.I.P.

I'm not even going to attempt to talk to those that want to use their deaths as some political point about police brutality; these young men were not a Darren Wilsons.

[BojackFan]

49. Well said.

[TexasTowelie]

48. See update:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/1060105

Two slain Mississippi police officers mourned; four arrested, two charged with capital murder

[hrmjustin]

60. Hearbreaking!