Feb 2024. Blues Vol 40 No. 2

AROUND THE COUNTRY

AROUND THE COUNTRY GEORGE COUNTY, MS. George County Deputy Jerry Malone was shot and killed during a traffic stop outside a Dollar General. GEORGE COUNTY, MS. – A hero cop in Mississippi was shot and killed during a traffic stop outside a Dollar General by a man with a criminal history spanning three decades. George County Sheriff’s Deputy Jeremy Malone, 44, was killed around 5:15pm on January 4 outside of a Dollar General on US Highway 98 near Lucedale. The suspect, Ricky Powell, 43, shot Malone as he approached his vehicle before he fled the scene. Cops later chased Powell as he drove through Greene County and into Perry County before they shot and killed the suspect. An outpouring of support flooded social media as the small community mourned Malone’s sudden death. George County Sheriff Mitchell Mixon said Malone was “larger than life” and that he centered his life around his family and his career. Malone previously served with multiple law enforcement agencies across the state, including the Leakesville Police Department and the Jackson County Sheriff’s Department. Beaumont Mayor Scotty Dailey who graduated alongside Malone at Perry Central High School in 1988 told WDAM: “If we played cops and robbers out on the playground, then we knew Jeremy was gonna be the cop because that was his whole life ambition, to be an officer.” “Mississippi will always remember Deputy Malone. Our state remains deeply thankful for all of our law enforcement officers who bravely place their lives on the line every day in defense of our communities,” Mississippi Governor Tate Reeves said in an executive order. A GoFundMe page was created in honor of Officer Malone and has set out to raise money for his family. It has raised more than ,000 as of Friday. First responders across the state also reached out to the Tunnels to Towers Foundation to assist Malone’s family following his death. The foundation, which has set out to help ‘America’s heroes by providing mortgage-free homes’ to the families of fallen first responders. On Monday, the foundation announced that they paid off Malone’s home, which the family had just purchased, according to DEPUTY JERRY MALONE WXXV. Malone’s patrol car has also been placed outside of the George County Sheriff’s Office Memorial in honor of the fallen officer. “I feel that incident speaks for who Jeremy Malone truly is. He was the most selfless kind hearted man I have met in law enforcement,” Brandon Walley, an officer that worked alongside Malone said in a Facebook post. “It was truly a honor to get to share that moment with him and I know The George County Sheriffs Office will never be the same without him, asking me every weekend where we was gonna set up.” 30 The Blues - February ‘24

The Blues - February ‘24 31