Mississippi sheriff’s deputy is shot and killed while responding to a call

TERRY, Miss. (AP) — A Mississippi sheriff’s deputy was shot and killed while responding to a call outside the state’s capital city of Jackson, authorities said.

Deputy Martin Shields Jr., 37, of the Hinds County Sheriff’s Office died after the Sunday night shooting, the sheriff’s office said in a statement.

Shields was responding to a domestic call at a home on Midway Road in Terry, Mississippi, southwest of Jackson, authorities said. Few other details on the circumstances were immediately released.

Hinds County Sheriff Tyree Jones said he heard the police radio traffic that sent Shields and another deputy to the residence. Then, “I heard the distress call from a deputy on the radio that immediately caught my attention: “shots fired, shots fired.”

The sheriff said he and dispatchers tried to reach Shields over the radio, but got no answer. “My heart sank as I rushed to the scene, not getting a response from the fallen deputy,” he posted on social media.

According to the Hinds County Sheriff, a deceased individual inside of the residence at 15323 Midway Rd. has been identified as Eric Brown by MS Bureau of Investigations. His cause of death is currently under investigation.

Brown is believed to be suspected in the death of fallen Deputy Martin Shields, Jr., and the shooting of his wife and a female accomplice at this location.

The wife and female accomplice are both stable at this time.

Shields had been employed by the sheriff’s office for about 9 months, but also had other law enforcement experience, authorities said.

The Mississippi Bureau of Investigation is investigating.