Crime & Public Safety
Crime & Public Safety

Covington man killed in Mississippi officer-involved shooting

Police in Gulfport, Mississippi, say the officer was forced to open fire after the victim drove toward him.
Police in Gulfport, Mississippi, say the officer was forced to open fire after the victim drove toward him.
By
Feb 4, 2020

A metro Atlanta man was killed Saturday in an officer-involved shooting in Mississippi.

Leonard Parker, 53, of Covington, was fatally shot by an officer responding to a disturbance about 3 a.m., according to police in Gulfport, Mississippi.

The officer was sent to a home in the 200 block of 25th Street after receiving multiple 911 calls, the department said in a statement.

He was walking toward the home when a vehicle that was leaving the scene drove toward him, according to police. The officer pulled out his gun and fired. Parker, who was behind the wheel, was hit, police said.

The Mississippi Bureau of Investigation is looking into the deadly shooting. The officer was placed on “non-enforcement duties,” Gulfport police said.

In other news: 

An A4-15 platform rifle was found hidden under a jacket at Holy Trinity Catholic Church on Walt Banks Road.

About the Author

Asia Simone Burns is a watchdog reporter for the AJC. Burns was formerly an intern in AJC’s newsroom and now writes about crime. She is a graduate of Samford University and has previously reported for NPR and WABE, Atlanta’s NPR member station.

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