Family identifies man shot and killed during four-hour SWAT standoff in South MS
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- Standoff with Harrison County SWAT ended in fatal shooting of Jason Simmons.
- Deputies attempted a mental evaluation pickup on Jason Simmons.
- State investigators have taken over the case; no injuries reported among law enforcement.
A four-hour standoff between a Harrison County Sheriff’s Office SWAT team and a man who barricaded himself in a shed ended Wednesday night when the man was shot and killed in an exchange of gunfire with law enforcement, authorities said.
Family members identified the man as Jason Simmons, 40, of Saucier.
The standoff began around 6 p.m. when deputies arrived at a home on Turan Road in Saucier to pick Simmons up for a mental evaluation. David Simmons, his brother, said the family obtained a court order on Wednesday because Jason Simmons struggled with substance abuse and mental health.
Authorities said Jason Simmons fired at deputies who came to serve the order, then barricaded himself alone in a shed on the property until he was killed there around 10:30 p.m.
The Mississippi Bureau of Investigation, which oversees all shootings that involve law enforcement, said late Wednesday it would take over the case. The agency said Jason Simmons died after he “displayed a firearm” and exchanged gunfire with law enforcement. No officers were injured.
The standoff was on a rural stretch of Turan Road between Highway 67 and Saucier-Fairley Road, where family said Jason Simmons lived with his parents.
David Simmons said his brother was a “great person” when he was sober but had faced mental health challenges for the last five years. He also said he believed his brother may have been under the influence of drugs during the standoff and wished law enforcement could have waited for a peaceful surrender once the effects wore off.
“For the most part, he was a good guy,” David Simmons said. “There’s no easy way to look at it.”
Civil commitment is a process in which a court orders someone in a mental health crisis to get treatment. Mississippi changed its civil commitment law last summer and now requires that a mental health professional screen a person before a court orders law enforcement to take them into custody.
The Mississippi Bureau of Investigation said it was gathering evidence and would share its findings with the Attorney General’s office.
This story was originally published June 12, 2025 at 12:01 PM.