Hattiesburg Police Officers Shooting Update: Mississippi Governor Releases Statement

In memory of the two Hattiesburg Police Department officers killed in the line of duty Saturday, Mississippi Gov. Phil Bryant said in a statement Sunday: “Deborah and I join all Mississippians this morning in mourning the death of our two police officers in Hattiesburg: This should remind us to thank all law enforcement for their unwavering service to protect and serve. May God keep them all in the hollow of his hand.”

Officers Liquori Tate, 25, and Benjamin J. Deen, 34, were fatally shot while making a traffic stop in the southern Mississippi town. They were both taken to a local hospital, but did not survive.

An all-night manhunt ensued. The suspects escaped in a stolen police cruiser, according to WDAM-TV.

By Sunday morning, three suspects had been arrested and charged with involvement in the shooting. Brothers Marvin Banks and Curtis Banks were taken into custody, as was a third suspect who was identified as Joanie Calloway, according to NBC News. The suspects were arrested at separate locations over the course of several hours.

Marvin Banks and Calloway face murder charges. Curtis Banks has been charged with accessory after the fact of a capital murder. Authorities have not yet discussed a motive for the shooting. The two brothers have previously been arrested on weapons charges.

Tate was a rookie officer who had been with the police department for less than a year after attending Southwest Mississippi Community College, according to the Clarion-Ledger in Jackson. Deen was a K-9 unit member recognized as the department’s officer of the year in 2012.

Two local residents discovered the wounded police officers and alerted authorities, the Clarion-Ledger reported. The last time a Hattiesburg police officer was killed while on duty was in 1984.