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Incumbent Republican Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann defeated state Sen. Chris McDaniel and another Republican challenger in Tuesday’s GOP primary.

Now facing only a little-known political newcomer in November’s general election, Hosemann in his victory speech late Tuesday night recounted numerous accomplishments and was looking forward to four more years running the state Senate.

“We want to build a state where our children and grandchildren want to stay and live,” Hosemann said. “… We are in in the best financial shape we’ve ever been in the state’s history. We are going to tackle so many of our state’s issues and we are going to solve so many of our state’s problems.”

Hosemann said he was trying to “temper” remarks about his opponent McDaniel and what became a nasty race in the homestretch. He also vowed to push for serious campaign finance reform, after he filed several claims McDaniel and related PACs violated state laws.

“When you have this much dark money pumped into a race — almost $1 million in the last week — it screams for reform,” Hosemann said. He also chided social media trolls who leveled attacks against him and supporters in recent weeks.

“Some of these people on social media, they spew venom at people they don’t even know,” Hosemann said. “When you wake up and look at yourself in the mirror, what have you done positive for Mississippi? I think the answer is nothing.”

Hosemann, 76, earned about 52% of the Republican primary vote on Tuesday, avoiding a runoff with McDaniel and assuring his spot on the November general election ballot. McDaniel received about 43% of the vote, and lesser-known candidate Tiffany Longino garnered about 5%.

Hosemann in November will face Democrat Ryan Grover, a political newcomer who ran unopposed in his party primary on Tuesday.

READ MORE: What incumbent Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann wants to do for Mississippi

McDaniel, who in 2014 refused to concede after losing to former U.S. Sen. Thad Cochran in the Republican primary, conceded late Tuesday night at an election night party in Biloxi.

“While the road to get here has been tough, I am forever grateful for the hard work of my grassroots supports who built this campaign from the ground up,” McDaniel said. “Tonight, it’s clear Delbert Hosemann heard you, and I know grassroots patriots will continue to encourage him to fight for Mississippi values and our conservatives principles.” 

The four-term state senator also acknowledged to Mississippi Today that a lack of campaign dollars likely played a significant role in his Tuesday night loss, given Hosemann spent significantly more money on the race.

“Unfortunately, the money remains a difficult impediment,” McDaniel said. “We all know the rules. Whoever raises the most money has the best chance of winning.”

Hosemann, as a well-known Republican incumbent who had served two terms as secretary of state, by most accounts wasn’t expecting such a hard contest for reelection. But McDaniel, who has developed a loyal base of largely the malcontented far-right, started his campaign against “Delbert the Democrat” more than a year ago and appeared to be gaining ground. McDaniel has used this tactic in his previous unsuccessful runs for higher office — claiming he’s a real conservative and the Republicans he’s attempting to oust are not.

As with his past bids for higher office, McDaniel supporters launched mud slinging and trolling social media attacks against Hosemann and his supporters, including a faked endorsement of Hosemann by Black Lives Matter aimed at turning off white voters in north Mississippi. McDaniel, as he has done in the past, denied complicity in such attacks.

READ MORE: Delbert Hosemann cries foul over BLM endorsement posts, calls it ‘typical’ dirty trick by Chris McDaniel

It didn’t help that Hosemann didn’t receive support from his fellow Republican Gov. Tate Reeves, with whom he’s often clashed over policy. Reeves at one point in the primary campaign season appeared to give a tacit endorsement of McDaniel. Should Reeves be reelected governor, this portends more clashes down the road as he tries to get a Hosemann-led Senate to help enact his policy proposals.

Hosemann countered by pointing to McDaniel’s ineffectual record over his four terms as a state senator. McDaniel, although a firebrand when giving a political stump speech, has long been known by fellow senators for his frequent absences from Senate proceedings and lack of work when it comes to legislating. He’s also usually clashed with Senate leadership and his fellow Republicans, and since 2014 has authored only three bills that passed into law: one recognizing a football team, another congratulating a pageant winner and another declaring a West Nile prevention week.

McDaniel’s previous unsuccessful statewide campaigns have been marred by his supporters’ dirty tricks — which at times required law enforcement to get involved and resulted in felony convictions and a jail sentence for one.

McDaniel for this campaign struggled to raise campaign money from people and businesses inside Mississippi, but he managed to get substantial help primarily from D.C. Beltway, secretly sourced dark money funneled through PACs. All told, about $1.4 million in out-of-state dark money was pumped into McDaniel’s campaign, a PAC he created and another than ran ads attacking Hosemann — a notable record for a down-ticket Mississippi state office race.

READ MORE: Out of state PACs dump dark money into McDaniel’s lieutenant governor’s race

From the start, Hosemann accused McDaniel of major campaign finance law violations and filed complaints with Attorney General Lynn Fitch’s office. Fitch for months appeared to ignore these complaints, but just days before Tuesday’s primary, she announced her office was investigating a state PAC created by McDaniel’s campaign treasurer and some of the complaints Hosemann raised.

READ MORE: Fitch says she’s investigating PAC run by Chris McDaniel treasurer

The race highlighted Mississippi’s weak campaign finance laws and nearly nonexistent enforcement and brought calls for reform, including from Hosemann and Republican Secretary of State Michael Watson.

READ MORE: Chris McDaniel, Lynn Fitch show that Mississippi might as well not have campaign finance laws

The post Republican Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann defeats Chris McDaniel, will face Democratic newcomer in November appeared first on Mississippi Today.

Republican Gov. Tate Reeves handily defeated two GOP primary challengers Tuesday, officially setting up what is expected to be a bitter and expensive November general election campaign against Democratic utility regulator Brandon Presley.

Reeves earned the right to advance to the November general election with a comfortable victory in Tuesday’s Republican primary against two lesser known candidates, John Witcher of Flowood and David Grady Hardigree of Jackson, who lacked funding and name identification.

Reeves hardly mentioned his GOP primary challengers in recent weeks, instead opting to focus his attention on Presley, the 46-year-old, four-term Northern District Public Service commissioner.

Presley was the only Democratic candidate on the ballot on Tuesday, ensuring that he would automatically secure his party’s nomination.

The Associated Press, which collects and publishes election results, called the race for Reeves about an hour and a half after polls closed.

“I am truly honored that Mississippi Republicans have once again put their trust in me to lead our party in this year’s Governor’s race,” Reeves said in a statement soon after being declared the winner. “Mississippi has momentum, and now is the time to unite as a state to keep that going into this year’s general election.”

While Reeves’ margin of victory was comfortable, he still faced a tougher primary election for a second term than did the past two Republican governors, Phil Bryant and Haley Barbour. Both sailed through their primaries with more than 90% of the vote before winning by a comfortable margin in their general election efforts.

Still, Tuesday’s results were much less stressful for Reeves than the party primary in 2019 in his first gubernatorial election. In a surprise outcome in the 2019 Republican primary, Reeves was forced to a runoff after he could not capture a majority of the votes against former Supreme Court Chief Justice Bill Waller Jr.

Reeves, 49, is running his sixth statewide campaign. He has vied for five previous statewide posts — two for treasurer, two for lieutenant governor and one for governor — and has never lost an election.

Reeves has portrayed himself so far as a conservative leader who has championed cutting the income tax while associating Presley with other Democratic candidates across the country like California Gov. Gavin Newsom and and former Georgia gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams.

“My friends, this is a different governor’s campaign than we have ever seen before in our state because we are not up against a local-yokel Mississippi Democrat, we are up against a national liberal machine,” Reeves said at a May campaign event.

Presley, on the other hand, has criticized the governor for not doing enough to keep health care infrastructure in the state from deteriorating and attempted to portray the governor as a leader who shrugs off the difficulties that low income families face on a daily basis.

“He’s fiddling while our hospitals are burning to the ground, and he doesn’t care,” Presley has said repeatedly of Reeves on the campaign trail.

Reeves has the power of incumbency, but a national poll has consistently shown that he’s one of the country’s most unpopular governors.

Still, Presley has an uphill climb to convince voters in a deeply conservative state to abandoned their support for a Republican governor while igniting a Democratic base to return to the polls in November.

The incumbent governor also has vastly more campaign funds to spend on the race than his Democratic opponent. Reeves has around $7.4 million in cash for his main campaign account, and Presley has around $1.5 million in cash.

The two candidates will compete against independent Gwendolyn Gray on November 7 in the general election.

Other statewide races with contested primaries

Three candidates were vying in the Democratic primary for the right to challenge Republican incumbent Agriculture and Commerce Commissioner Andy Gipson. Early Tuesday night, Robert “Brad” Bradford led challengers Bethany Hill and Terry Rogers.

Republican Insurance Commissioner Mike Chaney, seeking his fifth term, defeated Mitch Young in the GOP primary.

And in the only other statewide primary on Tuesday, incumbent Republican Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann was leading state Sen. Chris McDaniel, though third candidate Tiffany Longino was pulling a modest percentage. To win a primary, a candidate will have to capture a 50% majority. If no candidate reaches 50%, the top two vote-getters will square off in an Aug. 27 runoff election.

All eight statewide officeholders — all Republicans — will face Democratic challengers in November.

Tuesday’s primaries also included elections for districtwide offices, such as Public Service commissioners, legislators, and district attorneys and for numerous county posts.

The post Republican Gov. Tate Reeves easily wins primary, makes November battle with Democrat Brandon Presley official appeared first on Mississippi Today.

Governor

Incumbent Republican Gov. Tate Reeves faces two challengers, John Witcher and David Hardigree, in Tuesday’s Republican primary election. The winner of the Republican primary will face Democrat Brandon Presley, who is unopposed in the primary, on November 7.

Lieutenant Governor

Incumbent Republican Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann faces two challengers, Chris McDaniel and Tiffany Longino, in the August 8 GOP primary election. The winner of the Republican primary will face Democrat D. Ryan Grover, who is unopposed today, on November 7.

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House and Senate races

Hundreds of both Republican and Democratic candidates are running for House and Senate races in the August 8 primaries elections. Republicans enjoy a supermajority control of both the House and Senate, and that is not expected to change in the November general election. Use the drop-down menus below to toggle between individual House and Senate races for primary election results.

Commissioner of Agriculture & Commerce

Incumbent Republican Agriculture Commissioner Andy Gipson is running unopposed in the August 8 Republican primary election. But he will face the winner of today’s three-way Democratic primary between Terry Rogers, Robert Bradford and Bethany Hill in the November 7 general election.

Insurance Commissioner

Incumbent Insurance Commissioner Mike Chaney faces challenger Mitch Young in the August 8 Republican primary election. The winner of that race will face Democrat Bruce Barton, who is unopposed in today’s primary, in the November 7 general election.

Public Service Commission

There are two contested primaries for the three-member Public Service Commission. For the northern district seat, Tanner Newman and Chris Brown face off in the Republican primary. The winner of that race will run unopposed in the November 7 general election.

For the southern district seat, incumbent Dane Maxwell and Nelson Carr will face off in the Republican primary. The winner of that race will run unopposed in the November 7 general election.

For the central district seat, incumbent Republican Brent Bailey is running unopposed in today’s primary and will face Democrat De’Keither Stamps, also running unopposed in today’s primary, in the November 7 general election.

Editor’s note: Election results are gathered by The Associated Press.

The post Mississippi primary election results appeared first on Mississippi Today.

The post Marshall Ramsey: The Homestretch appeared first on Mississippi Today.

Earlier this year, Amanda Bell and her family planned a visit to Nanih Waiya. 

Located in southern Winston County between the Crystal Ridge and Bogue Chitto Choctaw communities, the Nanih Waiya mound is “the heartbeat of the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians,” said Bell, who is manager and Choctaw archivist of the Chahta Immi Cultural Center in Philadelphia.

The trip to the mound was meant to be a moment for reflection and family, but it quickly devolved into a horrific and saddening day instead.

As they arrived at the site in February, Bell and her family found destruction: donut tire tracks on and around the mount, litter and bottles of alcohol strewn around the sacred site. 

The Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians Department of Public Safety posted photos of the vandalism, along with a request for information on Facebook after Bell and her family discovered what happened.

“Nanih Waiya Mound is a sacred and important landmark of the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians,” the post reads. “It is an area that should be respected by all people who visit.  We are saddened to hear that our sacred Mound grounds was vandalized recently.”

Months later, the search for the vandals continues.

‘The Mother Mound‘

Nanih Waiya, which means “leaning hill,” is 25 feet high, 618 feet long and 140 feet wide, roughly matching the earliest recorded descriptions of the site. 

Originally, the mound also included a ramp, which has now been destroyed. While Nanih Waiya itself has received only minimal damage across the centuries, the entire site has not been as fortunate. Several small burial mounds, which have now been nearly leveled by plowing, are several yards from Nanih Waiya, while a raised embankment and a moat once circled the site. 

Nanih Waiya is prominently featured in the two Choctaw creation stories.

In one, each of the Southeastern Indigenous nations emerged from Nanih Waiya. After spending some time near the mound, they eventually went in their various directions, becoming the Creek, Cherokee and Chickasaw Nations. The Choctaw were the last to emerge from the mound. Once they did so, unlike the other nations, they saw that the “Mother mound,” had birthed them in a good place. They decided not to leave.

In the other legend, Choctaw ancestors came from the West, looking for a place to resettle. Each night of their travels, a Miko, or chief, placed a pole in the ground. The group would continue on in the direction in which the pole leaned the next day. When they reached Nanih Waiya, the pole remained upright, thus it was determined by the Choctaw ancestors that this is where they would remain. 

Nanih Waiya represents not only the MBCI’s history but its resiliency. Despite its status as a sacred site — one Choctaw people fought to protect and retain even as early European settlers took more and more of their land — the U.S. took Nanih Waiya, along with about 11 million acres of what is now Mississippi, from the Choctaw people in 1830 with the signing of the Treaty of Dancing Rabbit Creek.

After eight previous treaties between the Choctaw and the United States, the Treaty of Dancing Rabbit Creek was the last. It was also the first removal treaty, carried into effect under the Indian Removal Act, sparking the Trail of Tears. In exchange for their home, the Choctaw received about 15 million acres in what is now Oklahoma. About 15,000 Choctaws left Mississippi for Oklahoma.

But not all Choctaws participated in the Trail of Tears.

Several thousand stayed in Mississippi and, in doing so, experienced decades of retaliation and intimidation. In 1945, those who stayed behind formed the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians, the only federally recognized American Indian tribe in Mississippi. In 2007, with one nay vote in the House, the Mississippi Legislature passed SB 2732, returning Nanih Waiya to the MBCI after nearly 200 years. 

Miko Beasley Denson and 17 Tribal Council members signed a proclamation in 2008, saying that the mound was never to be taken from the Choctaw people again, Bell said. In celebration of this, the MBCI celebrates Nanih Waiya Day the second Friday in August.

‘I hope they learn their lesson’

Once they arrived at the site, Bell said they noticed tire tracks in the shape of a donut on the left side of the mound. In one area, it seemed as if someone had attempted to drive up the side of the mound. Trash, including a cardboard box, liquor bottles, beer cans and cigarettes, were scattered about the sacred site. The “Mother Mound” seemed to have been used not for ceremony or contemplation, but for debauchery.

Months later, Bell is still seeped in sadness when recalling the vandalism.

“How could they disrespect this sacred site? To this day, they haven’t found the person or persons that committed that,” she said.

But Bell is hopeful that the story doesn’t end there. 

She hopes that bringing attention to the harm the vandals caused will prevent similar instances in the future, and that it will encourage all Mississippians to learn about the state’s first inhabitants. 

“It was sad and a bit of a heartbreak,” she said. “The person that did this, well, they’ve gotten away with it. I hope that they learn their lesson that this is a sacred site … I hope it will open eyes to others that it needs to be respected. It’s not just a hill, it’s a mound. It’s the Mother mound and a sacred space where the early Choctaws settled.”

Note: If you have any information about the vandalism, contact the Choctaw Police Department at 601-656-5711 or the Attorney General’s Office at 601-656-4507. You can anonymously share information by calling or texting 844-601-1308.

The post Months after a sacred site was vandalized, Choctaw officials still seek answers appeared first on Mississippi Today.

Mississippians will go to the polls Tuesday with an opportunity to vote in races on the county level such as for supervisor, and in races on the state level such as for governor and legislators.

The most high profile statewide race on the ballot Tuesday will be for the office of lieutenant governor. Incumbent Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann of Jackson is facing state Sen. Chris McDaniel of Ellisville in a contentious Republican primary. Hosemann and McDaniel for weeks have flooded mailboxes and statewide airwaves with bitter attacks about one another.

READ MORE: Coming soon to screens near you: Mississippi election ad wars

Lesser-known candidate Tiffany Longino of Rankin County is also on the ballot in the Republican primary for lieutenant governor.

The winner of that primary will in November face political novice D. Ryan Grover of Hattiesburg, who is unopposed in the Democratic primary for lieutenant governor.

Incumbent Gov. Tate Reeves, who is seeking reelection, faces two lesser known candidates on Tuesday in the Republican primary: John Witcher of Flowood and David Grady Hardigree of Jackson.

The winner of that GOP primary will face Brandon Presley of Nettleton, a four-term northern district public service commissioner who is unopposed in the Democratic primary for governor.

Three Democrats are on the ballot for the office of commissioner of Agriculture and Commerce to face incumbent Republican Andy Gipson. They are Robert “Brad” Bradford, Bethany Hill and Terry Rogers II.

Republican Insurance Commissioner Mike Chaney is being challenged in the Republican primary by Mitch Young.

In the primary elections, a candidate must garner a majority vote to avoid a runoff three weeks after Tuesday. So, in any election with more than two candidates, a runoff is possible.

Voters will have to decide whether they want to vote in the Republican or Democratic primary. They cannot cross over to vote. In the November general election, people can cross over and vote for a gubernatorial candidate of one party and a candidate for lieutenant of another party.

Polls will be open from 7 a.m. until 7 p.m. People with election questions can call their local circuit clerks.

PODCAST: McDaniel-Hosemann contest headlines Tuesday’s party primaries

Based on early numbers, the turnout could be high. The number of absentee ballots requested and returned, meaning the person requesting the ballot has voted and the ballot has been returned to the local circuit clerks, already exceeds the numbers for the 2019 primaries. Political observers often equate higher early voting or absentee numbers to overall higher election turnout.

Through the weekend, 45,199 absentee ballots have been requested and 40,698 already have been returned to the local circuit clerks. This compared with the final numbers in the 2019 party primaries when 42,096 were requested and 38,237 were returned.

Absentee ballots must be postmarked as of Election Day to be counted.

An independent analysis of the absentee numbers compiled by the office of Secretary of State Michael Watson indicate high interest in the Republican primary. According to reports, there is high interest in a number of local races as well as the lieutenant governor’s contest between Hosemann and McDaniel.

According to those compilations, as of Monday, the return of absentee ballots in the Republican primary is 129% more than the total early voting count in 2019. And, of course, people still have time to return their absentee ballots, though it is too late to request an absentee ballot.

The post Heated Republican lieutenant governor’s race highlights Tuesday primary election ballot appeared first on Mississippi Today.

A Jackson-based LGBTQ+ organization is withdrawing its volunteer support from this year’s Mississippi Book Festival due to the addition to a panel of former Vice President Mike Pence, a current Republican presidential candidate who is known for opposing the rights of gay and transgender people. 

In a press release, the Capital City Pride board of directors wrote that Pence, whose long track record of anti-LGBTQ+ actions includes opposing same-sex marriage and federal funding for some HIV/AIDS prevention, “directly contradicts” the inclusive values the nonprofit advocates for in Mississippi. 

“Our mission revolves around fostering an environment of equality, diversity and understanding, and we believe that supporting voices that promote hate and intolerance is antithetical to these goals,” the press release reads.  

Since it was founded in 2019, Capital City Pride has staffed the “writer’s breakfast” at the Two Mississippi Museums, an event for the writers and panelists, said Jason McCarty, the nonprofit’s consulting director. 

But after Pence was announced as a panelist, McCarty said he received dozens of calls from volunteers who were concerned about his anti-LGBTQ+ views. Now, about 25 volunteers with Capital City Pride will no longer staff the breakfast or an LGBTQ+ panel called “Out in Focus.” 

Though McCarty said he has a great relationship with the Mississippi Book Festival, it did not seem appropriate for the nonprofit, which advocates for safe spaces for LGBTQ+ people, to contribute to an event Pence might attend. 

Pence is slated to discuss his autobiography “So Help Me God,” which is about how his evangelical Christian values have shaped his personal life and politics, at 2:45 p.m. in Capitol Room 216. Former U.S. Rep. Gregg Harper will moderate. 

It was Harper’s suggestion to invite Pence, said Ellen Daniels, the festival’s executive director. Every year, the former congressman invites a guest with the board’s approval. Harper has also been a fiscal sponsor of the festival.

Though she respected Capital City Pride’s decision and thought the press release was “pitch perfect,” Daniels said that ultimately the Mississippi Book Festival’s goal is to be a big-tent event. She urged people not to boycott. 

“I want to put this into a kind of perspective,” she said. “Mike Pence and his session — he is one person out of over 160-plus authors appearing at the festival this year. Many of those authors have had their books banned. He is one hour out of a day with 47 hours of panel opportunities.” 

Daniels also noted that last year, the festival faced pushback for refusing to rescind its invitation to Alice Walker, the acclaimed author who faced criticism for praising a book by an antisemitic conspiracy theorist. Other controversial authors at prior festivals have included Joyce Carol Oates and Karl Rove. 

“We are a free speech festival,” Daniels said. “There is something for every type of reader at the festival, and we do not censor or ban books or authors.” 

Pence has opposed LGBTQ+ rights since he was a congressional candidate in 2000, according to the New York Times. The former governor of Indiana launched his presidential campaign this year by advocating for a nationwide ban on gender-affirming care for trans minors. He’s also called for a ban on trans people serving in the U.S. military. 

McCarty said that while Capital City Pride abhors Pence’s views, the nonprofit is trying to walk a line between not staffing, but still attending, the festival.

“It’s kind of a gut punch but it’s also like he is not going to run us off an event that we’ve always participated in,” McCarty said. 

Capital City Pride is now asking people to attend Pence’s panel, which will be broadcast on C-SPAN, and wear attire supporting the LGBTQ+ community.

The panel comes amid several efforts across the state to restrict the rights of LGBTQ+ Mississippians. Last week, the Harrison County School Board approved a policy requiring students to dress according to the gender they were assigned at birth. 

Earlier this year, lawmakers banned gender-affirming care for trans youth and the University of Mississippi Medical Center shuttered an LGBTQ+ clinic after it came under legislative scrutiny. 

The post LGBTQ+ group protesting Mike Pence book festival appearance appeared first on Mississippi Today.

In the year since Mississippi Attorney General Lynn Fitch received exclusive responsibility to prosecute law enforcement-involved shootings, her office has moved forward on only a fraction of the nearly 50 cases. 

To date, Fitch is pursuing charges against six former Rankin County officers who beat and tortured two Black men in January. She has also sought an indictment for the Oct. 6, 2022, shooting of 15-year-old Jaheim McMillan in Gulfport. In three cases, the attorney general’s office reviewed the shootings and found that officers’ actions were justified. 

Since July 1, 2022, when the law went into effect, through the end of July 2023, 23 people have died in shootings by law enforcement, according to records from the Department of Public Safety. Those fatalities account for half of the officer shootings in the year. 

Investigation into these law enforcement agencies starts with the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation, which shares its findings with the attorney general’s office. The attorney general’s office then is supposed to present the case to a grand jury in the county where the shooting happened, and if the jury chooses to indict, the office would prosecute, according to the law. 

Fitch’s prosecution of the five former Rankin County sheriff’s deputies and a former Richland Police Department officer came only after an investigation by the U.S. Department of Justice and the officers pleading guilty in federal court. 

“This brutal attack caused more than physical harm to these two individual victims; it severed that vital trust with the people,” Fitch said in a Thursday statement. “This abuse of power will not be tolerated.”

She added that the men who committed the heinous acts are an exception, rather than the rule, and that most law enforcement officers put their lives on the line to protect the community. 

Meanwhile, the attorney general’s office declined to prosecute three times and did not secure an indictment for one officer-involved shooting case that happened between July 2022 and July 2023. The majority of cases – fatal and nonfatal – remain under investigation by the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation or the AG’s office, said spokesperson Debbee Hancock. 

“The Attorney General’s Office is committed to justice in these and all cases, and upon completion of MBI’s investigation, we undertake a thorough review of all facts and law to determine if use of force was appropriate in the individual instance,” Hancock said in a statement. 

The attorney general’s office presented the Oct. 6, 2022, shooting of McMillan to a grand jury, which in February declined to indict and find criminal conduct for the Gulfport police officer who shot the teenager outside a Family Dollar store. 

“As such, no further criminal action will be taken by this Office in this matter,” the office said in a February statement. 

Katrina Mateen has called for answers and accountability for her son’s death following the shooting and since the grand jury ruling, the Sun Herald reported. 

The attorney general’s office also reviewed the use of force in three cases and declined to prosecute: 

• July 14, 2022: A Forrest County sheriff’s deputy shot 45-year-old Corey Maurice McCarty Hughes, a Black Hattiesburg man, whose family was trying to get him into mental health treatment.
• Aug. 22, 2022: A Biloxi police officer shot 41-year-old Mable Arrington, a Black woman, outside a housing complex.
• Oct. 19, 2022: Lafayette County sheriff’s deputies responding to a domestic call shot 44-year-old Jason Smith in Oxford. Smith argued with a woman and her children were barricaded inside their room, WTVA reported.

Family members of McCarty Hughes, the Hattiesburg man, have filed a wrongful death lawsuit against 10 unnamed sheriff’s deputies and the county. 

Other than the January Rankin County incident, there have been no reviews or indictments for the other 18 officer shootings that happened this year. Community members have called for answers and the release of any existing body camera footage in several of those incidents. 

In Indianola, an officer accused of shooting an 11-year-old boy in the chest has been suspended without pay and faces legal action: a $5 million lawsuit against him and the city and potential criminal charges filed by the boy’s mother. 

District attorneys can handle cases of law enforcement officers whose use of force results in death, but these indictments are not common in Mississippi or around the country, especially as officers are legally able to use lethal force if they fear for their lives, Mississippi Today previously reported. 

However, sometimes officers can face criminal charges for actions while on the job. In May, the Hinds County District Attorney’s office secured indictments against three former Jackson Police Department officers for the death of 41-year-old Keith Murriel. In a federal lawsuit, his family argues the officers used excessive force and failed to render medical aid.

And in a rare twist, Fitch is at odds with the Hinds County DA’s office, urging a reversal in the culpable negligence manslaughter conviction of Anthony Fox, a former Jackson police officer convicted a year ago in the 2019 death of George Robinson.

The post AG Fitch has resolved few officer-involved shootings appeared first on Mississippi Today.

Aug. 7, 1904

Diplomat Ralph Bunche was born in Detroit. He was a member of the “Black Cabinet,” which President Franklin D. Roosevelt consulted on minority issues. 

After heading the Howard University Political Science Department for more than 20 years, he went to the United Nations and served as its mediator on Palestine. After negotiating the 1948 armistice agreements between Israel and the Arab states, he returned home to receive a ticket-tape parade on Broadway. In 1950, he received the Nobel Peace Prize. 

Bunche took part in the civil rights movement for decades, served on the NAACP board and helped Martin Luther King Jr. lead the Selma to Montgomery march in 1965 in Alabama. 

“To make our way, we must have firm resolve, persistence, tenacity,” he said. “We must gear ourselves to work hard all the way. We can never let up.”

The post On this day in 1904 appeared first on Mississippi Today.

Mississippi Today political reporters Bobby Harrison, Geoff Pender and Taylor Vance break down Tuesday’s election where party nominees will be selected for the Nov. 7 general election. Candidates from the county level to the state level will be on the ballot Tuesday. 

The post Podcast: McDaniel-Hosemann contest headliner for Tuesday’s party primaries appeared first on Mississippi Today.