Mississippi officer discovers son’s body after responding to shooting call
A Mississippi police officer responded to a shooting call Sunday morning, but she didn’t know she was about to encounter her worst nightmare.
Officer Laquandia Cooley found her son, Charles Stewart Jr., 20, dead from a gunshot wound in Hazlehurst, Mississippi, news outlet WLBT reported.
“We initially responded to the call not knowing, when I made it over there, the person was going to be my son that was laying there,” Cooley told WLBT.
The officer told the news outlet she couldn’t believe what she was seeing.
“As we get out, I look and I was like, ‘This is my son, this is my son.’ So, I literally just go into a breakdown, you know? Like, why? Who would do this to my son?” Cooley told WLBT.
Stewart Jr.’s father, Charles Stewart, told WLBT his son was a good person who got along with everyone.
“It’s traumatizing for the whole family,” Stewart told WLBT. “We’re just trying to cope day to day. Just trying to figure out why this happened and who could have did this.”
“We initially responded to the call not knowing, when I made it over there, the person was going to be my son that was laying there."
Hazlehurst Police Chief Darian Murray said the case will be handed over to the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation because it involves an officer’s family member, WLBT reported.
About the Author
· Rich Barak works in the sports department as a leader/coach. In his career, Barak has covered everyone from Tommy Lasorda to Timothy Leary. He can be reached via email at Richard.Barak@ajc.com, on Twitter at @RBARACK or by calling 217-722-0184.
