Man identified in Hattiesburg officer-involved shooting

The victim in an officer-involved shooting Friday in Hattiesburg has been identified as Jerome Chris Harmon, 23, of Hattiesburg, Forrest County Coroner Butch Benedict said.

Harmon died around 9 p.m. Friday at Forrest General Hospital.

Around 1 p.m. Friday, a Hattiesburg police officer spotted someone driving down the road who appeared to be a suspect in a burglary and credit card fraud, Hattiesburg police spokesman Lt. Jon Traxler said.

1 killed in officer-involved shooting in Hub City

When the officer attempted to conduct a traffic stop, the suspect failed to respond.

The suspect's vehicle eventually was stopped at Old Airport Road and Att Avenue in the Palmers Crossing area of Hattiesburg, where he fled on foot. The suspect allegedly fired shots at the officer in pursuit, who returned fire, striking the suspect.

The officer was not injured, Mississippi Bureau of Investigation spokesman Warren Strain said. The officer has not been identified.

The Forrest-Perry County district attorney's office and the MBI were also at the scene conducting an investigation, which is routine whenever an officer is involved in a shooting.

Traxler said he did not know when the last officer-involved fatality was or how many — if any — there have been previously in Hattiesburg.

Benedict said Harmon's body would be sent to Jackson for an autopsy.