A pursuit involving two Jackson men in a vehicle stolen out of Alabama saw shots fired and both suspects and an officer injured.
According to the Madison Police Department, officers encountered a white 2017 Dodge Challenger that area law enforcement had been alerted to around 2 p.m. Officers attempted to stop the vehicle on Old Canton Road near Ridgecrest Drive. The vehicle turned onto Ridgecrest Drive and stopped at the entrance of Hite Walcott Park in Ridgeland. Per MPD, when officers approached the vehicle, it accelerated into oncoming traffic and toward an officer.
“Before the officer was able to clear himself from the path of the vehicle, the officer fired his service weapon while removing himself from the vehicle’s path,” Lt. Col. Micah Taylor said in a press release.
The vehicle then sped away but was blocked in by other responding units. It came to a stop before entering Highway 51. During the arrest, firearms were discovered in the front right door pocket and on the driver’s floorboard.
Both suspects and an officer were transported to a local hospital for non-life-threatening injuries. No one was struck by gunfire during the incident.
Upon being released, the suspects will be transported to MPD for booking and then to the Madison County Detention Center, where they will be held until their initial court appearances. Dunta Demon Palmer is charged with felony fleeing, felony receiving stolen property, and aggravated assault on a law enforcement officer. Darrius Jerrell Palmer is charged with receiving stolen property. MPD said the car had been stolen out of Helena, Ala., but had a Mississippi license plate put on.
More charges are expected after the completion of the investigation.
The Ridgeland Police Department also responded to the scene and is conducting its own investigation, as is the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation as it does with all officer-involved shootings.