By Jeff Amy and Rogelio Solis
Associated Press
HATTIESBURG, Miss. — Several hundred law enforcement officers, including several from as far away as New York City, were lining up Thursday to pay respects to the family of a slain Mississippi police officer.
The outpouring of support for the family of Patrolman Benjamin J. Deen has come from across the country, Hattiesburg Mayor Johnny DuPree said. Services were being held at Temple Baptist Church in Hattiesburg. He will be buried in nearby Sumrall.
“This means so much to this family. It shows law enforcement officers are loved by those they serve and protect. It is a shame we can’t do this before these tragic events happen,” DuPree told The Associated Press as he entered the church.
Deen, 34, and Patrolman Liquori Tate, 25, were shot and killed Saturday night during a traffic stop just north of downtown Hattiesburg.
Since then, hundreds have turned out for a memorial, a vigil and a visitation. Dupree said Wednesday’s visitation was extended two hours to accommodate mourners.
Services for Tate are Saturday at West Point Baptist Church in Hattiesburg. He will be buried in Starkville.
In the investigation into the police officers’ deaths, a fifth person was arrested Wednesday, state officials said.
Abram Wade “Pete” Franklin was charged with obstruction of justice after he was questioned by Mississippi Bureau of Investigation agents, according to a statement from the state Department of Public Safety.
MBI spokesman Warren Strain said investigators don’t believe Franklin was present for the shooting.
Franklin, a 29-year-old Hattiesburg resident, was jailed Wednesday night awaiting an initial appearance before a judge to assign bond. It was unknown whether Franklin had an attorney to contact for comment.
Four others have already been charged in the shootings.
Marvin Banks, 29, is jailed without bond on two capital murder charges. His 22-year-old girlfriend, Joanie Calloway, and 26-year-old brother, Curtis Banks, are charged as accessories after the fact. A friend, 28-year-old Cornelius Clark, is charged with obstruction of justice.
Strain said authorities searched again Wednesday for the .40-caliber pistol that police believe Banks used but did not find it.
Investigators say Deen pulled over a Hyundai driven by Calloway for speeding just after sunset Saturday. He decided to search the car, in which Clark and Marvin Banks were passengers, and called Tate for backup. Strain said that after Deen asked all three to get out, Banks shot Deen in the face and Tate in the lower back. Both officers were wearing bullet-resistant vests that couldn’t protect them against the gunshots.
A judge denied bond to Marvin Banks, who is also charged with grand theft for fleeing a few blocks in a squad car after the shooting and being a felon in possession of a firearm. Banks pleaded guilty in 2010 to possessing a stolen handgun and faced unresolved drug charges at the time Deen pulled him over.
Curtis Banks’ bond is set at $100,000, but bond for a pending drug charge was revoked, meaning he can’t leave jail. Bond is set at $75,000 apiece for Calloway and Clark. All four have been assigned public defenders. Strain said all four have given statements to police.
Copyright 2015 The Associated Press