A male Mississippi Highway Patrol Trooper named Steven K. Gardner was killed in the line of duty on March 23, 1984, near Hazelhurst, Mississippi. He had served with the agency for a period reported to be between four months and one year.
The fatal encounter began after Trooper Gardner had arrested a man earlier in the day. This individual, after securing his release on bond, changed vehicles and began to hunt for the trooper. He eventually located Trooper Gardner parked on the shoulder of Highway 51, preoccupied with paperwork inside his patrol car.
At around 10:45 p.m., the suspect deliberately rammed his vehicle into Trooper Gardner’s parked car. Gardner radioed dispatch to report the collision, believing it to be a standard motor vehicle accident. As he approached the other car to check on the occupant, the man he had arrested earlier shot him in the chest. The bullet found a gap between the panels of his protective vest.
Though fatally wounded, Trooper Gardner managed to draw his own weapon and return fire, killing his assailant at the scene. Subsequent investigation confirmed that the suspect had spent hours searching for Trooper Gardner with the intention of retaliating for the earlier arrest. Trooper Gardner had not immediately recognized the man because he was in a different car. He was survived by his parents. In his memory, a section of United States Highway 51 south of Hazlehurst has been dedicated in his name.
