Is Darian Atkinson sane to stand trial in Biloxi cop killing? Here’s more from court.
Darian Atkinson, the Harrison County teen accused in the shooting death of Biloxi Police Officer Robert McKeithen, told a psychiatrist he took the action because black people have been oppressed and he had the right to bear arms and act.
That was the reasoning he gave Dr. Chris Lott when asked about the night of May 5, 2019, when McKeithen was gunned down at close range.
Lott testified during a hearing Thursday to determine if Atkinson, now 20, is mentally competent to stand trial and assist his attorneys in his defense.
Lott said his intellect was within the normal range, and he was polite and forthcoming when he answered questions.
“He understands the charge,” Lott said. “He understands the possible penalty. He understands the legal process. He understands his role. He gave a . . . correct factual response to questions regarding his legal situation.”
However, Lott said, did have some concerns.
“The concern I have here is not with his understanding of the facts of the case, but with the legal strategy and understanding and wishes as far as any legal strategy in his case,” Lott said.
“He thinks a jury would understand why he took the action he did.”
After hearing the testimony, Judge Christopher Schmidt ruled Atkinson was competent to stand trial and assist in his legal defense.
Still, Lott noted, Atkinson’s mother, grandfather and girlfriend said he began to act strange after he returned from a trip to Texas shortly after he graduated high school. When he came back, Lott said, he told his family things like they needed to turn off the television because people were listening.
Atkinson is set for trial Sept. 20.
His attorney, Theressia Lyons, is planning an insanity defense.
The defense is planning to argue that Atkinson has a mental and emotional impairment that prevented him from understanding the full weigh of his actions the night he walked up to McKeithen and allegedly shot him multiple times.
Police have said the shooting was a premeditated attack, and that Atkinson walked 8 miles from a home in Gulfport to the Biloxi Police Department with one goal in mind — to kill a cop.
After the shooting, Atkinson called a girlfriend, who wanted to know why he shot the police officer. Darian Atkinson said he did it “because I’m crazy,” the girlfriend told authorities.
A video camera at Atkinson’s mother’s home in Biloxi captured a lot of the activity of Atkinson and his co-defendants after the shooting.
Four of his six co-defendants have pleaded guilty to accessory and hindering prosecution, charges that mostly involved helping Atkinson with a change of clothes after the shooting.
This story was originally published May 21, 2020 at 11:30 AM.
