Mississippi deputies fatally shoot person while trying to serve warrant

COLUMBIA, Miss. (AP) — Deputies in Mississippi fatally shot a person Tuesday while attempting to serve a warrant, state investigators said.

The shooting happened around 4:30 p.m. near Highway 35 in Columbia, a south Mississippi town. Marion County sheriff’s deputies were attempting to serve someone with a warrant when the person “presented a weapon towards the deputies,” prompting authorities to open fire, according to a Department of Public Safety news release.

MBI identified the subject as 68-year-old Lonnie Hendon of Columbia.

According to news sources, Marion County Sheriff’s deputies went to an address to serve multiple arrest warrants on Hendon, who reportedly pulled into the driveway while deputies were there. Deputies approached the vehicle and advised that he had multiple arrest warrants.

The Mississippi Bureau of Investigation is examining the case, as it does with most shootings involving law enforcement officers in the state. It will share its finding with the state attorney general’s office, according to the news release.