news
Gerald John Wagner
At about 4:30 p.m., a Patrol Trooper tried to stop a 1992 GMC Suburban on Highway 45 in Monroe County.
The man behind the wheel, identified as Gerald John Wagner, 40, of Picayune, fled and drove north on Highway 45, according to a news release from MHP.
Wagner twice fired two shots at police, totaling four shots, the release said.
Near the Green Street exit on Highway 45, a Tupelo police officer deployed a "stop stick," designed to deflate a vehicle's tires, which blew out the Suburban's tires and Wagner lost control.
His Suburban sped into the median, and Wagner exited the vehicle brandishing a handgun and continued running, the release said. He did not respond to verbal commands to stop, and, after crossing Highway 45, turned toward state troopers with weapon in hand. It was then he was fatally shot.
The incident is under investigation by the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation.
The pursuit and shooting snarled traffic around the area for several hours.
sheena.barnett@journalinc.com