In the quiet city of Hattiesburg, Mississippi, a routine traffic stop on the evening of May 9, 2015, tragically escalated into a fatal encounter for two police officers. Benjamin Joseph Deen, a 34-year-old male and decorated officer of the Hattiesburg Police Department, was among the fallen. A K-9 officer who had been named the department's 'Officer of the Year' in 2012, he was a husband and a father to two children.
That evening, Officer Deen pulled over a vehicle for a traffic
violation. He was soon joined by his colleague, Officer Liquori Tate. During the stop, shots were fired, and both officers were critically wounded. They were rushed to a nearby hospital but succumbed to their injuries, marking the first line-of-duty deaths for the Hattiesburg Police Department in over three decades. The suspects fled the scene, instigating a manhunt that quickly led to arrests.
The investigation led to the apprehension of several individuals. The primary suspect, 29-year-old Marvin Banks, was charged with two counts of capital murder, grand theft auto, and being a felon in possession of a firearm. His girlfriend, 22-year-old Joanie Calloway, was also initially charged with capital murder. Marvin Banks' 26-year-old brother, Curtis Banks, was charged with two counts of accessory after the fact to capital murder for assisting his brother in evading arrest. In the days and weeks that followed, the number of arrests in connection with the case grew, with others facing charges such as accessory after the fact and obstruction of justice.
The legal proceedings brought a series of developments. Before he could stand trial, Marvin Banks was found unresponsive in his jail cell on December 11, 2015, and was later pronounced dead. An autopsy suggested he died from heart disease. In August 2016, Curtis Banks pleaded guilty to accessory after the fact to capital murder and was sentenced to 20 years in prison. Joanie Calloway's case went to trial, and in May 2017, she was found guilty of attempted accessory after the fact to capital murder and hindering prosecution. She received a total sentence of 25 years in prison. Her conviction and sentence were later affirmed on appeal. Several other individuals also faced legal consequences for their roles in the aftermath of the shooting.
