Mississippi suspect arrested after deputy shot
Following a pursuit, a 22-year-old Mississippi man was arrested early Saturday after he allegedly shot a deputy.
Lamar County Deputy Steve Pazos was shot in the back during a pursuit of an auto burglary suspect around 7 p.m. after he got out of his vehicle, WDAM-TV reported.
The deputy was taken to a hospital for non-life-threatening injuries and released, the department said in a statement posted to Facebook.
“I was at the hospital with the officer and his family and he was released,” Lamar County Sheriff Danny Rigel told WDAM. “He was injured, but it was not life threatening, and he is home with his family, thank God.”
Troy Prenell Johnson, 22, was arrested hours later around 12:30 a.m., the statement said.
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Johnson was charged with aggravated assault on a police officer and is awaiting his initial appearance to find out if bail will be set, according to arrest records.
The Mississippi Bureau of Investigation is handling the investigation.
The shooting came two days after two Bay St. Louis, Mississippi police officers were shot and killed while on duty.
“It’s sad,” Rigel told WDAM of the shootings. “I’ve doing this for 40 years, and it’s not getting any easier, and it seems like it’s getting more frequent, so keep us in your prayers. We’re out here serving y’all, and that’s what we do. So, thank you for your support.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
