In the pre-dawn hours of September 29, 2018, a call regarding shots fired on North Sixth Street in Brookhaven, Mississippi, set in motion a tragic chain of events. Thirty-five-year-old Patrolman James Kevin White, a White male, was the first to arrive at the scene. He was soon joined by his colleague, 31-year-old Corporal Zach Moak.
The officers discovered a trail of blood which they followed to a shed, where they encountered 25-year-old Marquis Aaron Flowers.
An exchange of gunfire erupted between the officers and the suspect. Both Officer White and Corporal Moak were struck by the gunfire. Despite their efforts, both officers succumbed to their wounds after being transported to King's Daughters Medical Center. The suspect, Flowers, was also wounded during the shootout and was subsequently taken into custody.
The investigation into the deaths of the two officers was taken over by the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation. Marquis Aaron Flowers, who had a prior criminal record, was charged with two counts of capital murder and one count of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. Following his recovery from his injuries, Flowers was transferred to the Mississippi State Penitentiary in Parchman.
On November 3, 2021, Marquis Aaron Flowers pleaded guilty to two counts of first-degree murder. This plea allowed him to avoid a potential death penalty sentence. He was sentenced to two concurrent life sentences for the murders, along with an additional ten years for being a felon in possession of a firearm. During the sentencing, family members of the fallen officers gave emotional victim impact statements. James White's father expressed the profound hate he felt for the first time in his life and his daily struggle to find forgiveness. The case left a lasting scar on the Brookhaven community and highlighted the dangers faced by law enforcement officers. In 2021, a post office in Brookhaven was renamed in memory of Officer White, Corporal Moak, and another fallen officer.
