Gulfport PD Officer Involved in Shooting on Hwy. 49

A routine, single vehicle accident late Thursday night on Highway 49 left one man dead, not from the accident, but from a Gulfport Police officer’s firearm.

News 25 tracked down the details on how this traffic stop became anything but routine. Friday in Gulfport on Hwy. 49 and Middle Drive, broken glass and a downed light pole mark the spot where a man from Texas died Thursday night.

Police tell News 25 49 year old, Rodney Biggs, struck the pole and was ordered out of his vehicle. According to police, Biggs reached for his gun and then was shot by one officer. Joel Smith, District Attorney for Harrison, Hancock, and Stone Counties, says, "I’m not at liberty to discuss any police department action at this point, but what I can say is this: from what we’ve seen so far, it does not seem that any criminal action will be necessary towards that officer."

Incidents like Thursday night’s officer involved shooting on Hwy. 49 and Middle Dr. in Gulfport show just how dangerous the life of a law enforcement officer can be, where even a routine traffic stop can be a split second decision away from a life and death situation. Smith also says, "Police officers, especially in today’s age, have a very difficult job, and in some circumstances, that job can turn deadly in an instant. Officers are required to carry a lot of responsibility."

Biggs was pronounced dead at the scene. Smith also says, "In this case, the Mississippi Bureau of Investigations and the Biloxi Police Department were brought in immediately and conducted the investigation. This is done for two reasons, one, you want an independent investigation to protect everyone involved."

Smith says the second reason is to keep an unbiased eye on the evidence as officials try to determine the chain of events that started with Biggs crashing his 2008 Chevrolet Silverado into a light pole and ended with gunfire.

Smith closes, "They’ll interview all potential witnesses, they’ll collect all evidence, whether it’s videotape from surrounding stores, videotape from police vehicles, those types of things."