A Mississippi Highway Patrol lieutenant was found shot to death over the weekend, and now three people are in police custody, officials said.
Lt. Troy Morris, 58, was found dead at around 4:30 a.m. Aug. 8 in a U.S. Postal Service truck, the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation
confirmed in a news release on Aug. 7. He worked part-time for the U.S. Postal Service.
The Mississippi Bureau of Investigation
stated on Aug. 8 that Treyon Washington, 24, Cdarrius Norman, 17, and Damion Whittley, 25, were all charged in connection with the trooper’s death.
Washington turned himself in to the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Department in Fayette and is being held without bond. Norman and Whittley were both tracked down and apprehended in New Orleans, Louisiana, the agency said. They will be extradited to Mississippi.
“Again, I would like to start by saying that our thoughts and prayers are with the family of Lt. Troy Morris,” said Mississippi Public Safety Commissioner Sean Tindell,
according to the Sun Herald. “I met with his family yesterday and assured them that we are working with our local, state, and federal law enforcement partners as we investigate his murder. The progress that has been made is a direct result of their hard work and dedication.”
Morris was driving the Post Office vehicle when one of its tires went flat, officials told WAPT-TV. He then contacted the Mississippi Highway Patrol and the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Department to report the flat.
“We dispatched a deputy who arrived a short time later and found Mr. Morris had been shot to death inside his truck,” Jefferson County Sheriff James Bailey told
reporters.
A motive in the case wasn’t disclosed.
“My prayers are with the loved ones of Lt. Troy Morris who was senselessly shot and killed this morning in Jefferson County. I hope the individual responsible for such an unforgivable act is swiftly brought to justice,” said Rep. Steven Palazzo (R-Miss.) in a
statement on social media.
Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann said Morris was one year away from retirement.
“We suffer from the senseless killing of Lieutenant Troy Morris. A loyal and effective highway patrolman one year from retirement and working a second job. We pray for him and his family, and for expedited justice,” Hosemann said in a statement.
Rep. Michael Guest (R-Miss.) wrote on Twitter: “Haley and I are praying for the family and friends of the state trooper who tragically died this morning. I’m confident in our justice system to bring the killer to face the consequences of the crime.”
