Double murder suspect killed by police after two-state chase with baby in car

Published 9:31 pm Monday, May 3, 2021

A man wanted in two killings in Louisiana died during a shootout with police Monday in Mississippi after officers from multiple law enforcement agencies chased his car in the two states.

A video aired by WLOX-TV showed police first flattening the tires on the car driven by suspect Eric Derell Smith and then Smith’s car becoming stuck in the median of Interstate 10. Another segment of video shows officers firing multiple rounds at the suspect.

A 4-month-old boy in Smith’s car was taken to a Biloxi hospital with injuries that were not life-threatening.

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Smith was a suspect in two killings near Baker, Louisiana, early Monday. WBRZ-TV reported that the East Baton Rouge Sheriff’s Office said Smith, 30, entered the home and fatally shot his ex-girlfriend and her nephew. They were identified as Christin Parker, 32, and Brandon Parker, 26.

The vehicle Smith was driving, a blue sedan, ended up in the interstate median after he tried to cross it to get onto the westbound lanes of I-10. WLOX-TV showed video with more than a dozen law enforcement cars, with blue lights flashing, following Smith’s car at slow speeds after Smith’s tires had been flattened.

Biloxi police are handling the investigation because the Mississippi Highway Patrol, Gulfport police and the Harrison County Sheriff’s Office took part in the chase.