By Justin Friday

Officer Liquori Tate was a rookie, fresh from the police academy. Officer Benjamin Dean was a father of two, an experienced K-9 officer and awarded Officer of the Year in 2012. Aside from their place of work and department the two men had very little in common. That is until both officers were killed during a lawful traffic stop in the once quiet town of Hattiesburg, Mississippi, on May 9th. Both men were rushed to the hospital; unfortunately, neither survived.

The suspects in question for the shooting include Marvin Banks, Curtis Banks, Cornelius Clark, and Joanie Calloway, two of which are being charged with two accounts of capital murder apiece. The others are to be charged with accessory to capital murder of two accounts.

However, unlike many other police shootings in the last year, this is the first police casualty that this town has had in the last thirty years. According to the mayor of Hattiesburg; Johnny DuPree “The men and women who go out every day to make sure that we are safe; they were turned on.”

Despite all of this, the motives for this killing are unknown and all four suspects are awaiting trial in the near future, all of which likely to receive an indictment.