Gov. Tate Reeves has called for flags to be flown half-staff in Mississippi on Friday in honor of a Lee County school resource officer who died while directing traffic.
Rick Haggard, 52, was killed in front of Shannon Elementary School on Monday afternoon after being caught in a collision between two vehicles. Haggard was on duty at the time of the crash.
“Mississippi is mourning the loss of Lee County Sheriff’s Department SRO Rick Haggard, and we’re praying for his family, friends, and fellow officers,” Reeves wrote on social media. “I’ve ordered all flags lowered to half-staff tomorrow in honor of SRO Haggard. Our state will never forget him.”
Haggard’s tragic passing is not the first of its kind to be reported at Shannon Elementary School. Back in 2022, officer Johnny Patterson was hit by a vehicle and killed.