In the early morning hours of June 28, 1994, Pearl River County Sheriff's Deputy Len J. Rowell, a male, was on patrol when he initiated a traffic stop on Interstate 59 near Poplarville, Mississippi. At approximately 3:45 a.m., he radioed in the tag number of the vehicle he had pulled over. As Deputy Rowell approached the car, the driver exited and opened fire.
Despite wearing a bulletproof vest, Rowell was struck multiple times—six times in his vest and once in the shoulder, causing him to fall to the ground unconscious. The assailant then shot the deputy twice in the face.
The man responsible for Deputy Rowell's death was already the subject of a manhunt. He had murdered Officer Gary Heath of the Greenville, Alabama Police Department just two weeks prior, on June 14, 1994. After killing Deputy Rowell, the suspect's violent spree continued. He was later stopped by Lieutenant Coy Smith of the Alabama Public Safety Commission. As Lieutenant Smith sat in his patrol car calling in the tag number, the suspect shot and killed him as well. The suspect's rampage finally came to an end later that day when he took his own life after being surrounded by federal agents.
Due to the suspect's suicide, there were no arrests, trials, or convictions in connection with Deputy Rowell's murder. The investigation concluded swiftly as the perpetrator had been identified and was deceased. Len J. Rowell had served with the Pearl River County Sheriff's Department for eighteen months. He was a veteran of the United States Marine Corps, having served in Operation Desert Storm. In recognition of his sacrifice, a section of Interstate 59 has been named in his honor.
