MBI investigating officer-involved shooting in Nesbit
NOTE: This updates an earlier post with additional information from the DeSoto County Sheriff’s Office about the incident.
NESBIT, Miss. — The Mississippi Bureau ofInvestigation (MBI) is investigating a fatal officer-involved shooting that occurred early Sunday morning in DeSoto County.
The incident began shortly after midnight when the DeSoto County Sheriff’s Office received a noise complaint at a residence located at 40 Bankston Rd. in Nesbit.
According to the sheriff’s office, when deputies arrived, they found a large crowd of teenagers. As deputies worked to disperse the crowd, several individuals reportedly ran from the scene, shouting that someone was firing a weapon up a nearby hill.
Deputies responded to the reports of gunfire and located an armed suspect, identified as Rylee James Westmoreland. According to an MBI statement, the suspect fled into a nearby wooded area.
Authorities report the suspect later emerged from the woods. The sheriff’s office stated that deputies issued clear verbal commands for Westmoreland to drop the gun, but the suspect did not comply and instead pointed the weapon at them.
In response, deputies fired their weapons, fatally injuring the suspect. No deputies or other individuals at the scene were injured.
“Let me be clear: this incident’s outcome was not decided by our deputies but by the suspect’s actions to hurt or, in the worst case, kill our deputies,” Sheriff Thomas Tuggle said in a statement.
The MBI is handling the ongoing investigation, which is standard procedure for officer-involved shootings. Agents are collecting evidence and reviewing the circumstances surrounding the incident.
Once the investigation is complete, the findings will be turned over to the Mississippi Attorney General’s Office for review. Officials noted that the details released are preliminary and could change as the investigation continues.
