Deputy was stabbed before fatal shooting outside Biloxi courthouse, officials say
A Harrison County deputy who shot and killed a man at the courthouse in Biloxi on Friday is at home recovering from stab wounds he sustained in the encounter, Harrison County attorney Tim Holleman said Wednesday.
“The deputy has not been able to do an incident report, so when he does it, we will get it to you as soon as we get it,” Holleman said in response to the Sun Herald’s public records request for the police incident report. “... He was stabbed. He is at home recovering.”
The shooting resulted in the death of 48-year-old Reginald Johnson.
Also on Wednesday, the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation — which is conducting an independent investigation of shooting — released its first public statement.
The shooting happened shortly after a deputy responded to report of a disturbance outside the courthouse, the statement said.
The deputy shot Johnson after, according to MBI, Johnson “displayed and knife and began to advance on the deputy.”
Eric Johnson, Reginald Johnson’s older brother, said Wednesday that no law enforcement agency had reached out to the family. He saw the MBI statement after it was sent to media. The information it contained raised more questions than answers for Johnson.
“We want to see the video,” said Reginald’s brother, Eric Johnson. “I think we deserve to see the video. If it’s so cut and dry, and... the officer was defending himself, show it to us. Show us what happened. That’s all we’re asking. There’s no transparency here. That wasn’t enough.”
Harrison County Sheriff Troy Peterson said both a deputy and Biloxi police officer were involved in the encounter.
Johnson died of gunshot wounds in the parking lot on the west side of the Harrison County Courthouse on Lameuse Street in Biloxi.
The sheriff and Biloxi Police Chief John Miller said they could not comment on the shooting because of the ongoing investigation.
MBI is continuing its investigation and collecting evidence. The results of that investigation will be turned over to the District Attorney’s Office. A Harrison County grand jury will ultimately decide whether any criminal wrongdoing occurred.
MBI did not identify the officers involved in the shooting.
Harrison County Coroner Brian Switzer said Johnson died of multiple gunshot wounds, though he would not say how many times he had been shot because of the ongoing investigation. The results of toxicology tests are also pending.
Eric Johnson said his family is planning to hire an attorney and try to get the full picture of what happened. With transparency, he said, “we can all have some closure and just go on about the rest of our lives.”
“Right now it looks like you’re hiding your hand.”
This story was originally published January 20, 2021 at 4:05 PM.
