Deputy Sheriff Michael Leroy Jimerson, 61, was shot and killed while on duty on the night of April 1, 2026. Deputies were responding to a disturbance at the Reserve at Gulf Hills Apartments on Washington Avenue in Ocean Springs, Mississippi, around 11:00 p.m. A woman fled when deputies arrived; Deputy Jimerson pursued her on foot. The woman produced a firearm and opened fire. Deputy Jimerson returned fire and both he and the woman were struck.

Deputy Jimerson was rushed to Ocean Springs Hospital but died of his wounds. The female suspect was pronounced dead at the scene. Jimerson had served 16 years with the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office and is survived by his wife, two children, and grandchildren.

Does anyone have information about the disturbance that led deputies to the apartment complex or saw what happened that night?