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View Full Version : MS - Drug SWAT cop shoots and injuries fellow cop, incident dismissed as "horseplay".




Anti Federalist
10-14-2012, 12:59 PM
Public trust strained as Jackson County drug task force shooting details unfold

Published: Friday, October 12, 2012, 6:46 PM Updated: Friday, October 12, 2012, 7:06 PM

http://blog.gulflive.com/mississippi-press-news/2012/10/public_trust_strained_as_jacks.html

PASCAGOULA, Mississippi -- As details about a July 31 shooting incident at the county's Narcotics Task Force offices continue to emerge, some leaders are concerned about the public's trust of law enforcement.

"This is just an unfortunate case that has caused some public doubt," Moss Point police Chief Keith Davis said. "At the end of the day, I want the public to be able to trust law enforcement in Jackson County."

Some public distrust stems from the various rumors and conflicting statements surrounding the shooting at the Narcotics Task Force of Jackson County's Pascagoula office.

Last month, Byrd said an "accidental discharge" inside the office injured an agent when a bullet hit the floor and a piece of tile dislodged and scraped the agent's leg.

Byrd has never released the names of the agents involved, citing personnel privacy laws.

This week, the Sun Herald posted personnel reports it obtained that named former task force commander Sgt. Jackie Trussell and Agent Chad Powell as the agents involved.

Written by Trussell, the reports said Powell was poking at him with a syringe when the commander -- who is "deathly afraid" of needles -- warned the agent multiple times before pulling out a pistol and firing a round at Powell's feet.

That's when a piece on concrete scraped Powell's left shin, the reports said, so Trussell and Sgt. Shawn Kimmerly used a suture kit obtained by Mississippi Bureau of Narcotics agent Todd McGehee to stitch the cut.

At the time, McGehee was on the FBI Safe Streets Task Force, but he is no longer a member, FBI spokeswoman Deborah Madden confirmed Friday.

"He was allowed to return back to his duties at MBN," she said.

McGehee is back working as a field agent, MBN spokeswoman Delores Lewis said Friday.

After learning of the incident from McGehee, MBN has launched an internal investigation into his role in the event.

Local police chiefs -- who are on the county narcotics task force's executive board along with Byrd -- said the shooting incident was not reported to them, but they began hearing rumors about it.

At a September board meeting, they asked Byrd to call in the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation for an independent probe.

That investigation was completed, and a report was given to District Attorney Tony Lawrence's office. It will be presented to a Jackson County grand jury, he said.

The district attorney's office can't discuss the contents of the report, but the sheriff said an MBI investigator told him no criminal wrongdoing was found.

"When this happened it was brought to my attention immediately, and it was handled properly in accordance with our policies and procedures," Byrd said Friday. "This issue is before the grand jury, and I will not comment until those findings are released."

Gautier police Chief Dante Elbin believes more information will come out of the grand jury, possibly including "some things that maybe I don't even know about," he said.

"I'm sure the grand jury results will put a lot of people's minds to rest," he said.

Like the police chiefs, Jackson County Supervisors John McKay and Melton Harris said they both wish the sheriff would have alerted them to the shooting.

"We called the sheriff in and talked to him about the incident," Harris said. "His comment to us was that it was horseplay and it was only a first aid injury. We've heard different things from other individuals."

McKay said he is "disappointed that the sheriff kept it to himself and we found out from the newspapers."

When any shooting injury occurs, "you're better off being up front with everything," McKay said. "To me, the sheriff's biggest mistake (was) thinking nobody cared about this incident."

The issue has strained the relationship between the sheriff's department, task force and city agencies.

Earlier this week, it was announced that Pascagoula, Moss Point and Gautier planned to cut their ties with the county task force and create their own.

The executive board had already removed Trussell from command, and two cities had removed their agents from the task force.

"I hate that this has gone as far as it's gone," Davis said Friday. "I hate where we are in law enforcement in Jackson County."

The three cities have drafted an interlocal agreement for the new task force, which the chiefs plan to present to their city leaders next week.

Ocean Springs is expected to remain a part of the county task force.

Origanalist
10-14-2012, 01:03 PM
"I hate where we are in law enforcement in Jackson County."

I'm sure Joe Citizen isn't real thrilled either.

MoneyWhereMyMouthIs2
10-14-2012, 01:08 PM
Written by Trussell, the reports said Powell was poking at him with a syringe when the commander -- who is "deathly afraid" of needles -- warned the agent multiple times before pulling out a pistol and firing a round at Powell's feet.


hahaha. Horseplay. What happened to the "shooting to kill" thing? Who knows what was on that needle.

Also, couldn't he have used pepper spray or a tazer?

Anti Federalist
10-14-2012, 01:17 PM
hahaha. Horseplay. What happened to the "shooting to kill" thing? Who knows what was on that needle.

Also, couldn't he have used pepper spray or a tazer?

Asshole cops.

Who the fuck jabs somebody with a hypodermic needle as a gag?

Then who the fuck shoots at someone as response to that?

'Roids rot your brain.

These are the guys that you're supposed to "trust" when they toss fucking grenades into people's homes and storm dwellings with their booger hooks right on the trigger of an MP5 submachine gun that is in "Condition Zero" no less.

jkr
10-14-2012, 01:44 PM
someone needs their toys taken away


and it AINT the average "citizen"