New details emerge about felon fatally shot in exchange of gunfire in South MS
A convicted felon who died in an exchange of gunfire Thursday with Jackson County sheriff’s deputies and narcotics agents had been involved in a series of crimes long before his death.
David Ray Wyrick, 59, of Eden, North Carolina, died of multiple gunshot wounds after he was shot and killed Thursday in an exchange of gunfire with officers.
The fatal shooting occurred shortly after Wyrick first stole a white truck from J.E. Borries Consruction on the west end of Dupont Avenue in Pascagoula., Jackson County Sheriff John Ledbetter said.
From there, Wyrick rammed the truck carrying chemical tanks through a fence before he parked behind the Jackson County Emergency Operations Center, attempted to cause an explosion, and then pulled a gun on responding officers, the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation said.
No officers suffered injuries in the incident.
Local, state, and federal agencies responded to the call and also did a sweep for any potential explosives in the Jackson County courthouse and surrounding officers, but found none.
A long history of arrests
Since the killing, new information about Wyrick has surfaced, including an extensive criminal history that includes a previous run-in with authorities that resulted in various charges, including attempted murder of a law enforcement officer in Florida.
In February 2025, Wyrick was arrested after he allegedly stabbed a deputy in Monroe County in South Florida, according to report by the Miami Herald.
That incident occurred after deputies there responded to a report of a man, since identified as Wyrick, placing boulders on a road and tampering withe fire hydrants, the report said.
When deputies got to the scene, Wyrick resisted arrest, was stunned by a Taser, but still managed to grab a metal pipe with a nail on the end of it that he allegedly used to stab a deputy in the eye.
In that case, deputies arrested him on charges of attempted manslaughter, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, aggravated battery on a law enforcement officer, battery on a law enforcement officer, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and resisting arrest with violence.
Breaking and entering, larceny and manslaughter
In North Carolina, Wyrick had a history of arrests for misdemeanor and felony offenses, including criminal trespassing, cyberstalking, reckless driving, breaking and entering, larceny and violating a protective order.
In one case in North Carolina, a jury in Rockingham County convicted Wyrick of involuntary manslaughter in the shooting death of a man outside his home, according to records obtained by the Sun Herald.
In that case, Wyrick said the shooting was accidental.
According to report in the Greensboro News and Record, the victim had purchased a puppy from Wyrick and was expected to return the following afternoon for a second one but instead arrived at night.
Wyrick told authorities he heard his dogs barking, went outside with a pistol to investigate and was startled when he encountered the man. He said the gun discharged accidentally, killing the victim.
A judge later sentenced him to three months in jail.
In November 2025, the Onslow County Sheriff’s Department issued a notice after Wyrick was reported missing. On Jan. 21, the Sheriff’s Department in North Carolina issued another notice saying he had been found. In addition to Jackson County sheriff’s deputies and Pascagoula police, other local, state and federal officers responded to the scene of Thursday’s shooting. MBI is in charged of the independent investigation into Wyrick’s shooting death.
The shooting occurred less than a week after Jackson County Sheriff’s Deputy Michael “Mike” Jimerson was laid to rest after he died in the line of duty on April 1.
