U.S. Attorney to criminals: We are ‘coming for you.’ Effort aims to crush crime in Mississippi’s capital city.
Published 7:03 am Sunday, January 9, 2022
Federal and local law officers are embarking on a new initiative aimed at curbing crime in Mississippi’s capital city.
Officials from several agencies outlined the Jackson program at a Thursday news conference. The “Violent Gun Reduction and Interdiction Program” has already begun, and law officers promised many more arrests in 2022.
“Homicides in the city of Jackson have increased to record levels in the past two years,” U.S. Attorney Darren LaMarca said. “We’re seeing businesses robbed at gunpoint, cars taken at gunpoint, disputes handled by gunfire.”
“This initiative will address the perpetrators of this violence and will be led by the FBI,” LaMarca added.
The effort comes in the wake of a record year for homicides in the city, WLBT-TV reported. Last year was Jackson’s deadliest on record for homicides, which included the shooting deaths of numerous teens and young adults.
To combat the high crime rate, the FBI and its partners plan to saturate streets and prosecute people involved in gun crimes to the “fullest extent of the federal law,” said Jermicha Fomby, special agent in charge of the FBI in Jackson.
“Whether of use of guns for carjackings, business robberies, as well as other heinous acts… The bottom line is, that no matter who you are, no matter where you are, there are no jurisdiction lines that will prevent us from coming for you,” Fomby said.
As of Thursday, 13 suspects had cases pending or had been indicted in the federal system as a result of the program, LaMarca said.
People arrested and charged by the U.S. Attorney’s Office are tried in federal court. If they’re convicted, they must serve at least 85 percent of their sentence, with no option for parole or a suspended sentence.
At least 153 homicides were reported in Jackson during 2021, WLBT-TV reported.