SOUTHAVEN, Miss — More than a day after a man was shot and killed inside his Southaven, Mississippi, home by DeSoto County Sheriff's Deputies, new details and a statement from the chief deputy of the sheriff's department are coming in.
The Mississippi Bureau of Investigation (MBI) said they started an investigation after deputies shot and killed a man around 6 a.m. Wednesday in Southaven.
The MBI said DeSoto County Sheriff's Deputies were making an arrest Wednesday with the SWAT Team at a home on Clark Avenue when the man pointed a weapon at the deputies, who fired shots in response, killing him.
Family on the scene identified the man as Demarcus Williams.
Thursday, the DeSoto County Sheriff's Department gave new details, saying the SWAT Team was serving a federal search warrant on behalf of the Drug Enforcement Agency. The sheriff's department said Williams had four federal indictments.
Deputies knocked on the door and announced their presence for an ample amount of time for someone to come to the door, according to the sheriff's department.
"Once we made contact with Williams through a window, deputies asked him multiple times to show his hands and surrender," DeSoto County Sheriff Chief Deputy Justin Smith said in a statement. "He refused. Williams produced a rifle and he pointed it at a deputy."
That's when, according to Smith, deputies shot Williams in self-defense, and began medical aid "as soon as reasonably possible."
Smith said Williams had a lengthy criminal record, including murder, assault, aggravated robbery, multiple drug charges and gun charges. We're working to track down these charges in court records.
Smith said simple compliance is key to de-escalation.
"In a world of increasing violence and degradation of the law enforcement profession, these incidents can be minimized by complying with the multiple commands Mr. Williams was given," Smith said. "Unfortunately, we had a tragic loss of life, but it could have been avoided with compliance."
Read the full statement from Chief Deputy Justin Smith below:
“At approximately 6:00am, August 30, members of the DeSoto County Sheriff’s Department SWAT team served a federal search warrant on behalf of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) at the residence of Demarcus Williams, in Southaven. There were four federal indictments for Williams. Deputies knocked on the door and announced their presence for an ample amount of time for occupants to come to the door. Williams did not respond or answer the door.
We continued to try and make contact with Williams. Once we made contact with Williams through a window, deputies asked him multiple times to show his hands and surrender. He refused. Williams produced a rifle and he pointed it at a deputy. The deputy shot Williams in the chest in self defense, medical aid was attempted as soon as reasonably possible, and Williams succumbed to his injuries on the scene. Williams had a lengthy criminal record including murder, assault, aggravated robbery, multiple drug charges, and multiple gun charges.
Simple compliance is the key to de-escalating these incidents.
In a world of increasing violence and degradation of the law enforcement profession, these incidents can be minimized by complying with the multiple commands Mr. Williams was given. Unfortunately, we had a tragic loss of life, but it could have been avoided with compliance. This is especially true in incidents such as this when law enforcement is present and acting well within Constitutional boundaries.”
