MS had this many officer-involved shootings in 2025. Here’s when, where they happened
Every year in the United States, law enforcement officers fire their weapons in situations they feel an immediate threat to their lives or the lives of others.
In Mississippi, officer-involved shootings resulting in injury or death are typically investigated by the state’s Bureau of Investigation with the Attorney General’s Office announcing results.
In 2024, the attorney general’s office declined to prosecute law enforcement officers in a third of all officer-involved shootings between 2023 and 2024, Mississippi Today reported.
But how many officer-involved shootings happened in the Magnolia State in 2025? Here’s what we know.
How many officer-involved shootings happened in MS in 2025?
Between Jan. 1 and Dec. 19, 2025, there were 13 officer-involved shootings resulting in injury or death, according to Mississippi Department of Public Safety incident reports reviewed by the Sun Herald.
Seven deaths were reported in 2025 as a result of officer-involved shootings, according to the incident reports.
Why do officer-involved shootings happen?
Officer-involved shootings happen less often than what many Americans assume.
A majority of the public, 83%, said they believe that a typical officer has fired their service weapon at least once in their careers while on the job, but about 27% of all officers said they have never fired their weapon on the job, a 2016 Pew Research Center study found.
The reasons officers fire their service weapon vary based on the situation, training and officer. The Fourth Amendment of the Constitution allows police “to use deadly force when there is an imminent threat of serious bodily harm or death to themselves or others,” according to the Richmond Journal of Law and the Public Interest.
In 2025, some of the Mississippi officer-involved shootings happened while law enforcement responded to the following situations, according to MDPS incident reports:
- Domestic incidentsAttempted capital murder
- Traffic stop
- Police pursuit
Where in MS did the officer-involved shootings happen?
Here’s where the shootings happened, according to MDPS incident reports:
- Saucier
- Lorman
- Hattiesburg
- Natchez
- Richland
- Terry
- Flowood
- Noxapater
- Crystal Springs
- Olive Branch
- Morton
- Lucedale
- I-55 North MM 92
Which month had the most officer-involved shootings in MS?
Mississippi saw the most officer-involved shootings in November, according to MDPS incident reports. Here’s how many officer-involved shootings were reported for each month:
- January: 1
- February: 2
- March: 0
- April: 2
- May: 2
- June: 2
- July: 0
- August: 0
- September: 0
- October: 0
- November: 3
- December: 1
