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. Responding to the alert were two of Brookhaven's own, Corporal Zach Moak, 31, and Patrolman James White, 35. What would typically be a routine call that often amounted to nothing escalated into a fatal confrontation.
Upon their arrival at the scene shortly before 5:00 a.m., the officers encountered a male subject in front of a
residence. An exchange of gunfire erupted between the officers and the individual. Both Corporal Moak and Patrolman White were struck by bullets during the shootout. They were rushed to King's Daughters Medical Center for treatment but ultimately succumbed to their injuries. The suspect was also wounded in the exchange and was taken into custody at a hospital in Jackson.
The man responsible for the deaths of the two officers was identified as 25-year-old Marquis Aaron Flowers of Brookhaven. At the time of the shooting, Flowers was a fugitive, having been on parole and failing to appear for a court date related to a high-speed chase in 2017. He was subsequently charged with two counts of capital murder and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, with all charges enhanced due to his status as a habitual offender.
Initially, the district attorney announced intentions to seek the death penalty in the case against Flowers. However, in November 2021, Marquis Aaron Flowers pleaded guilty to two counts of first-degree murder and one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm. He was sentenced to two concurrent life sentences for the murders, along with an additional ten years for the firearm charge. In honor of their sacrifice, a post office in Brookhaven was later renamed the 'Deputy Donald William Durr, Corporal Zach Moak, and Patrolman James White Memorial Post Office Building.'
