What started as a routine traffic stop ended with two Mississippi police officers dead and four suspects in custody.
Bloodstains still mark the Hattiesburg street where officers Liquori Tate, 24, and Benjamin Deen, 34, were shot Saturday night shortly before passing away at nearby Forrest General Hospital. This is the small southern city's first on-duty death of an officer in over 30 years, Mayor Tom DuPree said in a news conference.
According to his Facebook page, Tate graduated from the police academy last summer. Deen was a K-9 officer who was named Hattiesburg PD Officer of the Year in 2012.
"This should remind us to thank all law enforcement for their unwavering service to protect and serve," Mississippi Gov. Phil Bryant said in a statement released Sunday morning. "May God keep them all in hollow of his hand."
A spokesman for the Mississippi Department of Public Safety said Marvin Banks, 29, and Joanie Calloway, 22, were each charged two counts of capital murder. Banks' 26-year-old brother, Curtis, was charged with two counts of accessory after the facts, and 28-year-old Cornelius Clark was charged with obstruction of justice.
Authorities accused the suspects of fleeing the crime scene and using a police cruiser as a getaway car. A preliminary investigation indicates that Deen initially pulled them over for speeding before calling Tate for backup.
Curtis Banks reportedly wailed "I didn't do it," while being escorted into a police station Sunday.
Flowers now cover the pavement where Deen and Tate were gunned down. DuPree acknowledged the community's effort not only in capturing the suspects - who were each located in different places - but in maintaining a healthy relationship with law enforcement.
"You just don't hear about these kinds of crime being solved within hours, DuPree said. A vigil is planned for Monday afternoon.
Social media reaction is mixed following Saturday's shootings.
Thank you, Officer Tate and Officer Deen. Your sacrifice and the good you did this world will not be forgotten. pic.twitter.com/vn4DJl2vRj
— Therese Apel (@TRex21) May 10, 2015
Our prayers are with everyone at Hattiesburg Police Dept. & the families of Police Officers Deen & Tate. We will never forget. — Commissioner Bratton (@CommissBratton) May 10, 2015
Some compared it to the Black Lives Matter movement that has grown over the last year, beginning with the officer-involved shooting of Trayvon Martin in Ferguson, Missouri. A #BlueLivesMatter campaign has begun on Twitter.
Two cops shot dead in #Hattiesburg, one of them black. Why no riots? Do liberal media terrorists pick & choose which #BlackLivesMatter? @CNN — O Bow Mao Truth Team (@BowMaoTruthTeam) May 10, 2015
If you don't think #BlueLivesMatter, don't support the military or the flag.. Go ahead & unfollow me. — AL_southernson (@jeepboy_country) May 11, 2015
I hope the parasites that killed those officers are put down in the most painful way. #BlueLivesMatter
— Pat Dowdall (@PatDowdall) May 11, 2015
My heart goes out to the mothers of the slain officers in Hattiesburg. What terrible news to receive at Mother's Day. #BlueLivesMatter — Mr. McCoogle (@remccullough1) May 11, 2015
Many responded with an #AllLivesMatter hashtag.
Keeps getting more names added. This isn't right. Time for folks to realize #BlueLivesMatter and #AllLivesMatter.... https://t.co/ookbpnoc25 — Burton Brink (@Brink4Arc) May 11, 2015
Let's drop this racial divide, praise our nation's progress, embrace logicality & get back to basics:#AllLivesMatter pic.twitter.com/j9RgmizYOW — Lesli Brower (@MarathonMom5) May 10, 2015
All four suspects are expected to make their first court appearance on Monday, according to multiple news reports. Watch video of Curtis Banks' arrest below.
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