Greenville Detective Myiesha Stewart was killed Tuesday during what’s been described as a “big shootout” between two males.
The Mississippi Bureau of Investigations is leading the probe into the death this week of a Black female detective with the Greenville Police Department, WAPT reports.
The Clarion-Ledger reports that Detective Myiesha Stewart, 30, was responding to a call Tuesday night in Greenville when she was killed during what’s been described as a “big shootout” between two males. Greenville Mayor Errick Simmons said the shooting occurred near Reed and Rebecca Streets, and four other people were injured by gunfire.
“Our community is hurting,” Simmons said during a press conference Wednesday outside City Hall, according to the Clarion-Ledger.
“She was one who exhibited courage,” Simmons said of Stewart. “She was one who put fear aside to help someone else.”
According to law enforcement, the gunman shot one man in the head and a woman in the foot during the melee in which Stewart was killed. It remains unclear what injuries, if any, the unnamed suspect sustained. He is in custody after he and a man he allegedly shot were airlifted to a Jackson hospital for treatment, WLBT reports.
Stewart grew up in Greenville and majored in criminal justice at Delta State University, where she played basketball in its 2013-14 season. She is survived by a 3-year-old child, her parents and other family members.
“We feel the hurt of a 3-year-old son left without a mother,” Simmons said during Wednesday’s news conference. “We feel the hurt of a mother and a father beside me here that have lost a daughter. We feel the hurt of a police department that have lost an officer. The family is hurt; our community is hurt.”
“I am truly saddened by the tragic loss of Detective Stewart,” Gov. Tate Reeves said in a statement Wednesday. “Please join me in prayer for her family, her friends, and the entire Greenville Police Department.”
Reeves continued: “Her bravery and selfless service to her community will be remembered. We are safer because of the tireless commitment of her and police officers around the state to keeping our families safe.”
Stewart is the third Mississippi police officer killed on duty this year. In January, Officer Johnny Patterson died from injuries he sustained after being struck by a car while directing traffic in front of a Tupelo elementary school. Five months later, in June, Officer Kennis Croom with the Meridian Police Department was responding to a domestic violence call when he was fatally shot.
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