Registered nurse with troubled past identified as woman who killed Coast deputy
A St. Martin woman has been identified as the woman who shot and killed Jackson County Sheriff’s Deputy Michael Jimerson in an exchange of gunfire Wednesday night that also resulted in her death.
Jackson County Coroner Bruce Lynd Jr. identified the woman as 27-year-old Maley Elizabeth Ross, a resident of the Reserve at Gulf Hills apartment complex on Washington Avenue.
Ross was a registered nurse in Mississippi, but her license was suspended and later revoked after a hearing before the Mississippi Board of Nursing on March 31.
The license revocations occurred after a hearing on March 31 before the Board of Nursing in Jackson. She had previously worked at hospitals in Biloxi, Gulfport, and Pascagoula.
According to records obtained by the Sun Herald and records from the state Board of Nursing, Ross had a prior arrest for misdemeanor DUI and underwent treatment for addiction. She received a non-adjudicated sentence, meaning the charge was dismissed upon successful completion of court-ordered conditions.
She also was arrested on a felony fleeing charge in Jackson County on Dec. 4, 2021. She pleaded guilty on March 1, 2023, and was placed on two years of non-adjudicated probation, according to authorities.
In addition, Ross encountered issues at work, including testing positive for alcohol during a random drug and alcohol screening at her place of employment.
According to reports submitted to the state from her former employers at Singing River Health System and Merit Health, Ross negligently practiced nursing in a manner that failed to meet accepted standards of care.
This included testing positive for alcohol and cannabinoids while on duty and abandoning patients during her shift.
She also failed to attend required AA and NA meetings, that the state Board of Nursing required of her after her license was initially suspended.
At the time of her death, Ross was living at the Reserve.
After her encounter with Deputy Jimerson, the Jackson County Sheriff’s Department “with profound sorrow” announced the death of the 61-year-old Jimerson.
The shooting happened after deputies responded to a report of a disturbance involving a noise complaint when the gunfire erupted.
Ross died at the scene, and Jimerson died of his injuries at Ocean Springs Hospital. The coroner said Jimerson was pronounced dead at 12:09 a.m. Thursday.
Autopsies are pending.
The Mississippi Bureau of Investigation is handling the investigation.
An MBI news release Thursday morning said deputies were pursuing Ross, who was armed with a pistol, on foot when gunfire was exchanged. No other deputies were injured. The deputy was wearing a body camera, the MBI’s news release said.
Jimerson began his career at the Sheriff’s Department as a reserve deputy in 2010 and became a part-time deputy in 2014.
“He had the demeanor and personality that was cut out for law enforcement,” Sheriff Ledbetter said.
“Since I’ve been here, I’ve never gotten a single complaint about him,” Ledbetter said. “He had a positive impact on everybody he met. The community loved him. Everybody at the Sheriff’s Department who worked with him loved him.”
By day, Jimerson worked full-time for Sparklight Internet and Mobile, then spent his evenings patrolling the streets of Jackson County.
“He would go to work all day at Sparklight, go home and change, and then go to work for the Sheriff’s Department,” he said. “Everybody just loved him.”
This story was originally published April 2, 2026 at 11:10 AM.
