Jackson Free Press

So, how many innocent people's lives were endangered in this inter-agency chase and shoot-out in the streets of Jackson? Good to know they recovered a small amount of marijuiana to justify this madness.

As the deputy was taking Harris, 25, into custody, her passenger, Gregory Johnson of Jackson, climbed into the driver's seat and took off, Pickett said.

The deputy chased him, calling for assistance.

More deputies and some Jackson police officers responded.

During the chase, the 29-year-old Johnson was seen dropping a package out of the window, which was later found to contain more than an ounce of marijuana, Pickett said.

After a short pursuit, Johnson jumped out of the car at Kenmore Drive and John R. Lynch Street and ran.

Hinds County Sheriff's Department deputies confiscated a box of marijuana Thursday after arresting two suspects following a chase.

He turned around and pulled a dark object from a pocket, Pickett said. The deputy thought it might be a weapon and fired two shots, Pickett said.

Pickett was unsure of what the object turned out to be, but said it was not a weapon.

___

Might it be time to review our police pursuit policies and the ones that suggest when to start firing at someone holding dark objects?

Remember Diallo.

Previous Comments

ID

104448

Comment

i thought the same thing, at least he missed (shouldn't he have not missed being a trained officer though?) Best of police...the one who can shoot at people and miss with such a narrow margin that they submit to arrest for fear of making themselves a toilet.

Author

*SuperStar*

Date

2006-01-27T13:04:11-06:00

ID

104449

Comment

Well, the problem with public shoot-outs is what happens when you miss and hit an innocent.

Author

DonnaLadd

Date

2006-01-27T13:09:48-06:00

ID

104450

Comment

well I think that is why malcolm is wiping his brow, this will be a small headache but the last thing JPD needs is more bad press. They are probably reminding officers at shift change to watch their booty and think twice just for the fact of all the mishaps. Just when you think the worst is pulling that one girl over and holding her for a night was abd then it goes to this.....

Author

*SuperStar*

Date

2006-01-27T13:14:37-06:00

ID

104451

Comment

Shades of Rudy Giuliani. I don't have anything against police officers drawing weapons and firing to defend themselves if they think somebody's gunning for them, but high-speed shootouts over marijuana charges are a really, really dumb idea. Cheers, TH

Author

Tom Head

Date

2006-01-27T18:10:41-06:00

ID

104452

Comment

Whre's Dale?

Author

pikersam

Date

2006-01-27T18:23:48-06:00

ID

104453

Comment

Oops... Where's Dale?

Author

pikersam

Date

2006-01-27T18:24:26-06:00

ID

104454

Comment

Whether you mean to or not, Tom, you make a great point about Rudy there. That is, he was a mayor who created a wild, wild west atmosphere, and New York City paid the price with all of the overreactions by police officers, especially the Street Crime Unit. It cost many millions in lawsuits (and they have more millions than we do) and innocent ended up dead and even sodomized in a police station during that time. And Rudy's policies were coupled with strict gun control, which we don't have here. So we have the wild, west south with everybody packing thrown in to boot. Hopefully, we'll hear about an investigation into what happened here, the chase and the shoot-out. Anything less from the chief and the sheriff would be irresponsible and sent the message that such antics are OK.

Author

DonnaLadd

Date

2006-01-27T18:26:35-06:00

ID

104455

Comment

Donna, that's actually exactly what I meant to refer to. I'm not faulting the deputy if he really thought the suspect was holding a gun, but this needs to be looked into. Cheers, TH

Author

Tom Head

Date

2006-01-27T20:48:17-06:00

ID

104456

Comment

Isn't it illegal to possess Marijuana in Mississippi still? She ran the light at the Super Wal Mart on 18 over there, which is definetly dangerous. Also, the suspects did have more than a small bundle, they had a small box full. Fleeing from authorities is bad, and even I know pulling a dark object suddenly on a jumpy police officer isn't a wise move. A lot of dumb moves on the suspects side. So the fact they're alive to suffer the results is a miracle, for which they should be grateful. The article doesn't read like they ran into metrocenter, guns blazing or anything.

Author

Ironghost

Date

2006-01-29T00:00:06-06:00

ID

104457

Comment

Donna... I respectively disagree with your position in questioning why the police were doing their job in pursing and firing on the suspect. Reading your story that guy signed his death certificate when he caused for the police to chase after him by evading and stealing a car .. He got lucky to not check out. The guy was already acting in an agressive nature and any other actions made the cop think he was "justifiable" and following procedure (it is his life we're talking about too). I wish people would stop arguing about if he was justified to fire after the fugitive.clearly had acted in an agressive nature..who cares what the offense was (drugs, murder, jaywalking); if someone acts in a certain way they've escalated the situation and the cop has to respond. We don't have a gazing ball the cop can look into to see if the fugitive has a small amount of drugs or is a rampant criminal who needs to be taken off the street or if they actually have a weapon. Sodomy remarks...now that is just wrong. That was some sick cops in a jail with a spare hose being arses. That's nothing to do with this situation and to me is inciteful I'm probably not convincing many here of anything thou.

Author

guywithanidea

Date

2006-01-29T00:00:27-06:00

ID

104458

Comment

Not with that kind of tone, no, I don't think you are. Besides, you're making a straw man argument. Nobody's suggesting punishing the deputy; we're suggesting an investigation. Cheers, TH

Author

Tom Head

Date

2006-01-29T00:38:19-06:00

ID

104459

Comment

It's not just inciteful, guy. If you create an atmosphere where cops think they can do anything to "get" the bad guy, then you end up with severe, severe abuses. I didn't make all this up; there are many people more intelligent than me who do research on things like policy pursuit policies and when to fire at "bad guys." Do some homework. Jackson is part of a bigger world here; we don't have to keep ignoring the lessons learned in other places, and keep hanging the horse theives, so to speak.

Author

DonnaLadd

Date

2006-01-29T12:27:30-06:00

ID

104460

Comment

Of course there will be an investigation. That's a given. I think we're far, far from a "Wild West" mentality in the Hinds County Sherriff's office. I'd trust Malcom McMillan further than most Law Enforcement in Central MS.

Author

Ironghost

Date

2006-01-29T13:28:40-06:00

ID

104461

Comment

So would I, IG, and McMillan's participation makes me feel better about this process than I otherwise would. But the fact that there will probably be an investigation doesn't really relieve the press' responsibility to call for an investigation. Donna is concerned, justifiably, and she has been since before he took office, that Melton is patterning his anti-crime policies and attitudes after those of Giuliani. Anyone who remembers the NYPD abuses of the 1990s knows where that can lead. It's a good idea to stay on our toes. Cheers, TH

Author

Tom Head

Date

2006-01-29T14:38:56-06:00

ID

104462

Comment

Now, the other thing is I'm not buying Melton's dreaming of becoming a Giuliani disciple. He seems to be wanting a better grip on discipline than Giuliani did.

Author

Ironghost

Date

2006-01-30T00:15:16-06:00

ID

104463

Comment

And what about Melton closing down Centerfolds and putting all those hardworking folks out of work? What are they going to do now? Why isn't anyone giving this damaging act the same coverage as the toy shop that was burned down. People were already complaining there is no place to go in Jackson.

Author

Ray Carter

Date

2006-01-30T10:14:43-06:00

ID

104464

Comment

Ray, it's early still. And, the article just came out today. The money quote though, after Melton supposedly caught a man and woman having sex, "I saw it with my own eyes," Melton said. "It was disgusting." ROTFLMAO!!! Like they don't have strip clubs in Tyler, TX! This guy could learn a lot from his own city if he would just try. Sigh, you can actually pay your water bill on line there!

Author

pikersam

Date

2006-01-30T10:34:58-06:00

ID

104465

Comment

Ok Pikersam. This is why I love y'all.

Author

Ray Carter

Date

2006-01-30T10:52:33-06:00

ID

104466

Comment

Here's a section of an April 29, 2004, about dangerous police pursuits: Senate Bill 2166 passed the state Senate unanimously and the state House by a 105-13 margin and has been sent to Barbour. "It has not gotten to his desk yet, so he will study (the bill) and make a decision at the appropriate time," said Pete Smith, spokesman for Barbour. A decision on whether to sign the bill is due from Barbour on Monday. Larry McCoy, the father of a girl who died in a police chase, said the legislation includes everything he has been working toward since he and his wife, Linda, founded Victims of Police Pursuits. "Much to my surprise, this is what we wanted," Larry McCoy said. "There is a little sense of gladness for the future lives that might be saved by this, but it is my nature not to celebrate until the Governor signs this into law." McCoy's 18-year-old daughter, Robin McCoy, and 14-year-old niece, Dana Lee, were killed after a police pursuit in 2001 in Rankin County. The girls were passengers in a car that crashed after a chase that reached speeds of more than 100 mph. The driver, Corey Tate, was behind the wheel of the stolen Lexus and had a suspended license. Tate's best friend, 17-year-old Steven Bledsoe, also was killed in the crash. Since January 2000, 45 people have been killed in police pursuits in Mississippi, according to Victims of Police Pursuits. A man was killed while fleeing a state Highway Safety Patrol trooper in Hattiesburg last month. Jackson Police Chief Robert Moore, who chaired a commission that traveled the state seeking public input on the issue, said he encourages Barbour to sign the bill. "This would put a heavy burden on that individual who makes the decision not to stop when an officer activates his lights," Moore said. "Secondly, it removes a burden from the officer because he will have a policy to follow when that person makes the decision to flee." Of course, the bill has to be enforced to do any good.

Author

DonnaLadd

Date

2006-02-01T18:30:12-06:00