NEWS

Mississippi deputy shot, suspect dead in Lowndes County

Sarah Fowler, and Therese Apel
The Clarion-Ledger
Officers on the scene where a deputy was shot after a high speed chase Monday morning. The suspect is dead.

A Lowndes County narcotics officer was shot following a high-speed chase Monday, and the suspect involved is dead.

Mississippi Bureau of Investigation spokesman Warren Strain said the incident began around 10:07 a.m. Monday when a Mathiston police officer attempted to stop a white Hyundai SUV driven by Pryor Spencer Bailey IV, 45, of Starkville, for a traffic violation.

Bailey, who was by himself in the vehicle, fled, and deputies pursued leading to a high-speed chase involving four law enforcement agencies.

A preliminary investigation indicated stop sticks were deployed at 10:17 a.m. inside the city of Columbus, Strain said, but Bailey was able to avoid them and the chase continued.

Stop sticks were deployed again at 10:29 a.m. near the intersection of U.S. 82 and Mississippi 50 and the vehicle was immobilized. At that point, Strain said, gunfire erupted.

Gunfire was exchanged, and Bailey was shot and died at the scene, Strain said.

The deputy, who was shot in the leg, suffered what are believed to be non-life threatening injuries. His name is not being released, Strain said.

Bailey was shot and died at the scene. Details, including how many times Bailey was struck and who shot him, is pending autopsy results, Strain said.

Multiple weapons were recovered at the scene, including two handguns.

WCBI's Joey Barnes reported both lanes of U.S. 82 were shut down with multiple law enforcement agencies on the scene. They remained closed until the crime scene units completed their investigation.

Evidence collected will be sent to the State Crime Lab. Bailey's body will be transported to the State Medical Examiner's Office for autopsy.

The Webster County Sheriff's Department, Oktibbeha County Sheriff's Department, Lowndes County Sheriff's Department and the Mississippi Highway Patrol were involved in the chase.

The investigation is ongoing.

Three years ago, in March 2014, three Lowndes County deputies were wounded when they responded to a welfare check in a residential neighborhood.

The suspect, Kent Coscia, shot through the front door of the home, striking two of the deputies. He was arrested on scene. Each of the deputies recovered from the incident and returned to work.

Contact Sarah Fowler at 601-961-7303 or sfowler@gannett.com . Follow her on Facebook and Twitter . Contact Therese Apel  at 601-961-7236 or tapel@gannett.com . Follow her on Facebook  and Twitter .