New details emerge in the shooting death of a South MS deputy & the felon who killed him

Rickey Powell, the convicted felon who gunned down a George County sheriff’s deputy on Jan. 4, shot and killed himself during an exchange of gunfire with authorities in the aftermath of the officer’s killing.

“That was determined when the medical examiner did the autopsy,” Sean Tindell, the Mississippi Department of Public Safety commissioner, told the Sun Herald.

After the 42-year-old Powell shot and killed George County Sheriff’s Deputy Jeremy Malone after a traffic stop, witness Billy Mitchell jumped in his car and followed Powell to ensure authorities caught up with him.

Powell then led authorities on a pursuit out of George County into Perry County, where the chase ended in the Beaumont Community. When Powell’s silver SUV came to a stop, Tindell said there was an exchange of gunfire before Powell shot and killed himself.

Information about Powell’s cause of death and other new details are starting to emerge as the Mississippi Bureau of Investigations continues its independent probe into the killings. MBI works under the direction of the Mississippi Department of Public Safety, which Tindell heads up as MDPS commissioner.

Once the investigation is completed, the findings will be turned over to Attorney General Lynn Fitch’s office for further review.

Powell’s death came within an hour of Malone initiating a traffic stop on Powell’s silver SUV on Mississippi 98 near Brushy Creek Road in the Rocky Creek community. Powell pulled over in a Dollar General parking lot, Tindell said, then got out of his SUV and gunned down Malone as he approached the vehicle.

Malone, 44, died at the scene.

At the time of the shooting, Tindell said, Malone was not equipped with a body camera to record the incident, but there were eyewitnesses at the store and possible dash cam footage.

Authorities believe Powell shot Malone because he knew he’d likely go back to prison after the stop. Powell was a convicted felon carrying a gun, which is a felony offense, and he was wanted in Mobile County, Alabama, on a felony marijuana offense.

Law enforcement officers, primarily narcotics agents with the South Mississippi Metro Enforcement Team, knew who Powell was from his years of run-ins with authorities.

Powell had lived in Moss Point and surrounding areas for a significant portion of his life, and before that, he had lived in Alabama. At the time of his death, he was living in Purvis.

His problems with law enforcement began by the time he was 18 and arrested in Mobile.

In the years that followed, Powell was in and out of jail for committing various crimes, including attempts to avoid arrests by leading authorities on vehicle pursuits.

In one of the last pursuits before his death, Powell led Moss Point police officers on a chase through the city.

Powell had five felony convictions and spent time in prison for state and federal crimes that included convictions for assaulting a law enforcement officer, auto burglary, felony evading as a result of vehicle pursuit, and more.

Authorities in Alabama had hoped to pursue charges against Powell as a habitual offender. Before that could happen, Powell shot and killed the George County deputy.

Meanwhile, donations are still being accepted to help Malone’s family.

Those wishing to donate to the family may mail or deliver donations to the SMPDD office at 10441 Corporate Drive, Suite 1, Gulfport, MS, 39503. Checks should be made payable to the Southern Mississippi Planning and Development District, with the Fallen Officer Fund designation in the check’s memo line.

To donate online, go to www.smpdd.com and click the Fallen Officer Fund “Donate” button to donate via PayPal, credit card or debit card.

In addition, Tindell set up a GoFundMe to help with funeral expenses, which had raised over $45,000 as of Wednesday.

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