On a tragic day in Long Beach, Mississippi, Sergeant Steven Dewain Morgan, a 40-year-old male, lost his life in the line of duty. On May 6, 1998, Sergeant Morgan was responding to a domestic disturbance call. He and other officers had just arrived at the scene when a suspect opened fire with an AR-15 assault rifle.
Witnesses reported that the suspect, who was dressed in fatigues and wearing a bulletproof vest, had been holding a handgun and picked up the rifle upon hearing the
approaching sirens. As the officers arrived, the suspect began shooting, fatally wounding Sergeant Morgan and his colleague, Detective James Franklin Northcutt, who was 54 years old. A third officer was also wounded in the exchange of gunfire.
The violent encounter came to an end when an off-duty officer from another department, who was nearby, shot and killed the suspect at the scene. Because the suspect was killed during the incident, there were no arrests made in connection with the deaths of Sergeant Morgan and Detective Northcutt. Sergeant Morgan had served with the Long Beach Police Department for seven years and was survived by his wife, three sons, and a daughter.
