In the quiet of a Sunday night in Biloxi, Mississippi, a dedicated police officer, months away from a well-deserved retirement, found his life cut short in a senseless act of violence. Robert 'Mac' McKeithen, a 58-year-old white male, was a respected 24-year veteran of the Biloxi Police Department and a U.S. Air Force veteran. On the evening of May 5, 2019, he was ambushed and fatally shot multiple times in the parking lot of the Lopez Quave Public Safety Center where he worked.
The brazen attack on a uniformed officer just outside his own headquarters sent shockwaves through the community and launched an intensive manhunt for the person responsible.
The investigation, led by the neighboring Gulfport Police Department, quickly identified a suspect through surveillance footage and tips from the public. The day after the shooting, authorities arrested 19-year-old Darian Tawan Atkinson in Wiggins, Mississippi, about 40 miles north of Biloxi. An off-duty Biloxi police officer spotted Atkinson, leading to his capture. Atkinson was subsequently charged with capital murder. Investigators pieced together a chilling narrative suggesting the attack was premeditated, alleging that Atkinson had walked eight miles from Gulfport to the Biloxi police station with the specific intention of killing a police officer. The motive for this targeted violence remained unclear to investigators.
In the wake of the tragedy, several other individuals were arrested and charged for their roles in assisting Atkinson after the murder. His brother, Davian Atkinson, was charged as an accessory after the fact for allegedly helping him flee. Four other accomplices, Wanya Toquest Atkinson, Andre Anderson Sullivan, Joshua Michael Kovach, and Dalentez Latavion Brice, also faced charges for hindering the prosecution and aiding Atkinson's attempt to evade capture. Over the following years, these individuals would plead guilty to their respective charges and receive prison sentences for their involvement.
The legal proceedings against Darian Atkinson, however, have followed a different path. While initially found competent to stand trial in 2020, his mental state reportedly deteriorated. His defense attorneys raised concerns about his ability to understand the charges against him and assist in his own defense, leading to multiple psychiatric evaluations. In March 2025, a judge ultimately ruled that Atkinson was not competent to stand trial. He was committed to the Mississippi State Mental Hospital for ongoing treatment and evaluation. The capital murder charge against him remains, pending the possibility that he may one day be found competent to face the allegations in court. For now, the final chapter in the story of Officer Robert McKeithen's death remains unwritten, as the man accused of ending his life resides in a mental health facility rather than a courtroom.
