‘He gave his life for all of us.’ Mourners honor fallen George County deputy at funeral
The officers stood before the coffin to remember a man who was brave, who was devoted and who they vowed would not be forgotten, not now, not ever.
And for all the mourners who filled a Lucedale church on Friday to remember fallen George County Sheriff’s Deputy Jeremy Malone, the officers mustered the only words they could for a fallen brother.
“He gave his life for all of us,” said Gov. Tate Reeves, who traveled to George County to attend the funeral.
“He was just a great man,” said Brother Tommy Mitchell, a chaplain from the sheriff’s department.
The people who loved him came together Friday to remember the life of Malone, a son, husband, father of three and sheriff’s deputy shot and killed when he pulled a man over for a tag violation in a Dollar General parking lot this month. The governor said the state was grieving. The chaplain prayed for the family’s peace. And again and again, the old friends and colleagues pleaded the world remember this: Jeremy Malone was a hero.
“You loved him dearly,” said Jackson County Sheriff John Ledbetter, who was roommates with Malone 22 years ago at police academy. “So did I.”
Malone’s coffin stood at Agricola Baptist Church for the funeral Friday, draped in an American flag and surrounded by blue and white flowers. Officers from across the Mississippi Coast and state and other out-of-state officers attended, and those who spoke prayed for his wife and three daughters in their grief.
Malone, 44, graduated from Perry Center High School. He attended the state law enforcement academy in 2002.
Over the years, he worked as an officer at the Leakesville Police Department, the Jackson County Sheriff’s Department, the Green County Sheriff’s Department and the George County Sheriff’s Department. He had also worked with Biloxi police each year for Cruisin’ The Coast.
When he wasn’t policing the streets, he worked as head of security at Bolinger Shipyards in Pascagoula, or was volunteering to take part in programs, such as the Blue Line Toy Drive and Santa Wears a Badge campaign to help the less fortunate.
Since his death, his police cruiser, George County sheriff’s patrol car No. 402, has been on display outside the George County Sheriff’s Department.
Mourners have placed flowers and notes on his car to honor him since his death.
The non-profit group Tunnels for Towers, also paid off the mortgage of Malone’s home that he and his wife had just purchased.
The killing
Malone had initiated the traffic stop on Mississippi 98 near Brushy Creek Road around 5:15 p.m. the day of his killing.
According to authorities, the suspect, identified as Rickey Powell, got out of his vehicle and fatally shot Malone, and drove off. A witness, Billy Mitchell, followed the suspect for several miles until law enforcement could catch up and get behind the suspect.
Powell, a convicted felon, led authorities out of George County into Perry County, where the chase ended and Powell died of a gunshot wound as authorities closed in on him to make the arrest.
Sean Tindell, the commissioner of the Mississippi Department of Public Safety, said investigators are still trying to piece together all the events that happened leading up to the shooting and afterward when the suspect died.
Officers remember friend and colleague
Malone’s fellow law enforcement officers escorted his body from George County to the Mississippi Crime Lab in Biloxi last week, and returned his body to a funeral home in Lucedale on Friday.
Malone was set to be laid to rest after a somber procession through the county that led to Tanners Cemetery.
Those who spoke sometimes struggled to find words to give voice to the tragedy. Malone was a kind man with no ego, Ledbetter said, who could be called on at any time. He was family. He made people laugh.
In grief, those who mourned were still grateful.
“Thank you for sharing Deputy Malone with us,” Reeves told Malone’s family.
“I’ll say this one more time,” Ledbetter said. “Thank you for your service.”
To help Malone’s family
The Southern Mississippi Planning and Development District (SMPDD) is accepting donations for Malone’s family.
Those wishing to donate to the family may mail or deliver donations to the SMPDD office at 10441 Corporate Drive, Suite 1, Gulfport, MS, 39503. Checks should be made payable to Southern Mississippi Planning and Development District, with a designation of the Fallen Officer Fund in the memo line of the check.
Additionally, SMPDD has a bank account at Community Bank to receive donations for fallen officers. The name of the bank account is “Southern Mississippi Planning Fallen Officer Fund.” Donations can be made at any Community Bank branch.
For those wishing to donate online, you may go to www.smpdd.com and click on the Fallen Officer Fund “Donate” button to donate via PayPal, credit card or debit card.
Sean Tindell, the commissioner of the Mississippi Department of Public safety, has also set up a GoFundMe to help with funeral expenses that had raised over $40,000 as of Friday.
This story was originally published January 12, 2024 at 1:20 PM.
