On the evening of January 4, 2024, George County Sheriff’s Deputy Jeremy Malone, 44, was shot and killed during a traffic stop in the parking lot of a Dollar General on Highway 98 in Lucedale, Mississippi. The stop began about 5:15 p.m. for a tag violation; as Malone approached the vehicle the driver, identified as 43-year-old Rickey Labaron Powell, opened fire and fatally wounded the deputy.

Powell fled and a witness followed, providing information to law enforcement that helped trigger a multi-county pursuit. The chase ended in Perry County when officers stopped Powell’s vehicle. The Mississippi Bureau of Investigation later concluded Powell died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound while law enforcement was attempting to apprehend him. Powell was reported to be a convicted felon with a lengthy criminal record in two states and an active Alabama warrant.

Malone was a husband and father of three and had served with several law enforcement agencies in southern Mississippi. His funeral drew officers from across the state. If anyone has information about the events leading up to the stop or saw activity in the Dollar General parking lot that evening, please come forward.