Deputy ruled justified in officer-involved shooting

Feb. 13, 2025-Mississippi Attorney General Lynn Fitch’s office Thursday announced it had completed the review of four officer-involved shooting incidents in the state, including an Aug. 30, 2023 shooting of a suspect by a DeSoto County deputy. 

“In all four incidents, the Attorney General’s Office found the use of force was justified,” a statement from the Attorney General’s office said. “Pursuant to Section 45-1-6 of the Mississippi Code, the reviews followed an investigation by the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation (MBI).”

MBI was brought in after the shooting incident that involved a deputy early on the morning of Aug. 30, 2023 at a Southaven residence on Clark Avenue. 

A SWAT team was attempting to execute an arrest warrant on behalf of the Drug Enforcement Administration at the residence when the subject pointed a weapon in the direction of the officers. The subject received fatal injuries. The officers involved were not hurt.

The victim was later identified as Demarcus Williams, age 32.  

Deputies had come to his residence at the time on a federal search warrant, seeking Williams on four federal indictments.

They knocked on the door but no one responded, so windows were broken into in an attempt to contact Williams, who then produced a rifle and pointed it at a deputy. That resulted in the deputy firing in self defense, hitting Williams.

Officials say Williams had a history of murder, aggravated assault, aggravated robbery, multiple drug charges, and multiple gun charges.