Mississippi Town Rattled by First Cop Killings Since 1984

As Hattiesburg, Miss., mourns two police officers killed in the line of duty Saturday evening, four people accused of involvement are due in court. Marvin Banks and Joanie Calloway have been charged with capital murder, while Curtis Banks—Marvin's younger brother—has been charged with being an accessory after the fact to capital murder, and a fourth suspect, Cornelius Clark, has been charged with obstruction of justice, CNN reports. A state Department of Public Safety spokesman says Marvin Banks has also been charged with grand theft for fleeing in a Hattiesburg police car after the officers were fatally shot, the AP reports. Banks only made it a few blocks before ditching the vehicle, the spokesman says.

Police haven't revealed a motive for the killing of the officers, although both Banks brothers have multiple convictions, including possession of crack cocaine, the Jackson Clarion-Ledger reports. The killing of the officers during a routine traffic stop has shocked the small city, where an officer hadn't been killed in the line of duty since 1984 and mourners have been leaving flowers at the scene in memory of officers Benjamin Deen, 34, and Liquori Tate, 24, reports the AP. "This should remind us to thank all law enforcement for their unwavering service to protect and serve," says Gov. Phil Bryant, whom the Clarion-Ledger notes is a former law enforcement officer himself. "May God keep them all in the hollow of his hand." (More Mississippi stories.)