Ninth suspect arrested in deadly shooting of Mississippi officers
By Therese Apel JACKSON, Miss. (Reuters) - Mississippi authorities said they have made a ninth arrest in connection with the May 9 shooting deaths of two Hattiesburg police officers. Brodrick Kendell Varnado, 25, of Hattiesburg has been charged with accessory after the fact of capital murder in the deaths of officers Benjamin Deen, 34, and Liquori Tate, 25, according to a Mississippi Department of Public Safety statement late Wednesday. Officials did not say how Varnado was suspected to be involved in the case. He is awaiting his initial court appearance, the department said. Tate and Deen both died of gunshot wounds suffered during a traffic stop near downtown Hattiesburg, becoming the first officers killed in the southern Mississippi city in more than 30 years. The accused shooter, Marvin Banks, 29, of Hattiesburg, is being held without bond on two counts of capital murder. His brother, Curtis Banks, 26, and Joanie Calloway, 22, also were charged with accessory after the fact of capital murder. Others arrested in the case face charges of obstruction of justice, rendering criminal assistance to a fleeing felon and possession of a stolen weapon. Mississippi Department of Public Safety spokesman Warren Strain said the investigation of the shootings is continuing. (Editing by Colleen Jenkins and Bill Trott)
