Detective: Accused Mississippi cop killer walked eight miles to ambush officer

Published 4:04 pm Tuesday, June 18, 2019

A grand jury will hear the case against the suspect in the May 5 shooting death of a Mississippi police officer.

Mississippi Gulf Coast news outlets report that Judge Gaston Hewes Jr. said Tuesday there is probable cause to send 19-year-old Darian Atkinson’s case to a Harrison County grand jury. The panel will decide whether to indict him in the death of Officer Robert McKeithen.

Atkinson is jailed on a capital murder charge carrying a possible death sentence. The Sun Herald reports that a detective said the suspect walked eight miles from his mother’s home to the Biloxi police station with the goal of killing a police officer.

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The detective testified Atkinson shot McKeithen in the back at close range.

Atkinson has been assigned public defenders. He hasn’t entered a plea.

WLOX reports five people face a Wednesday hearing on accessory-after-the-fact charges.