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Demarcus Williams

Age : 32

Gender : Male

Race : Black

Date : 08/30/2023

Location : Clark Ave

City : Southaven

County : Southaven

State : Mississippi

Agency : DeSoto County Sheriff's Department, SWAT

Officer(s) :Unknown

Cause of Death : Gunshot

Event : Killed by police during SWAT execution of federal warrant

OPEN RECORDS SUMMARY :

n 08/30/2023, at approximately 6:00 a.m., members of the DeSoto County Sheriff's Department SWAT team went to Demarcus Williams' home on Clark Avenue in Southaven. The operation was conducted on behalf of the federal Drug Enforcement Administration. DeSoto County officials said Williams was the subject of four federal indictments and that deputies were executing a federal warrant at his residence.
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The Mississippi Bureau of Investigation was notified of the fatal police shooting at approximately 6:40 a.m. Initial information released by MBI incorrectly identified Southaven Police Department as the agency involved. MBI subsequently issued a correction identifying the DeSoto County Sheriff's Department as the involved agency.
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DeSoto County Chief Deputy Justin Smith said SWAT deputies knocked on the door and announced their presence for what he described as an ample period of time. According to Smith, nobody answered. Deputies subsequently broke windows while attempting to make contact with Williams.
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Williams' family and girlfriend provided a sharply different account of what the people inside the house understood was happening. His girlfriend and three young daughters were inside with him. Family members said police broke windows and deployed smoke devices into the residence and that the people inside believed someone was breaking into the house. Williams' aunt said the children heard breaking glass and other commotion around the residence.
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According to the Sheriff's Department, deputies eventually made contact with Williams through a window and repeatedly ordered him to show his hands and surrender. Police alleged that Williams obtained a rifle and pointed it toward a deputy. A DeSoto County deputy then fired through the encounter, striking Williams.
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Williams' family directly disputed the police account that he pointed the rifle at a deputy. They said Williams armed himself because he heard windows breaking and believed his home was being invaded. Family members alleged that Williams was shot in the back through a window while crawling and said he was not pointing a gun at police.
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Photographs and reporting from the scene showed broken windows at the residence. Action News 5 also reported that black tape covered the home's Ring doorbell camera after the shooting. Williams' family cited the condition of the home and the circumstances of the early-morning entry in questioning whether the occupants understood that law enforcement was outside.
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DeSoto County officials, by contrast, maintained that deputies clearly announced themselves before making entry and that Williams knew police were present. Chief Deputy Smith publicly characterized the shooting as self-defense and blamed Williams' alleged failure to comply with deputies' commands for the fatal outcome.
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Police reported that the deputy's gunfire struck Williams in the chest. Deputies provided medical assistance, but Williams died at the residence. The individual deputy who fired the fatal shot was not identified in the public accounts reviewed for this update.
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The Mississippi Bureau of Investigation conducted an independent investigation of the shooting and submitted its findings to the Mississippi Attorney General's Office for review.
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On 02/13/2025, the Mississippi Attorney General's Office announced the completion of its review. Attorney General Lynn Fitch's office determined that the DeSoto County deputy's use of deadly force against Williams was legally justified. The Attorney General's public announcement did not provide a detailed evidentiary analysis explaining its conclusion.
OFFICER BACKGROUND:
The DeSoto County deputy who fired the fatal shot at Williams has not been publicly identified in the available records. Contemporary reports referred only to a deputy or members of the DeSoto County SWAT team, and the 2025 Attorney General announcement likewise did not name the shooter.

SOURCE LINKS :

https://wreg.com/news/local/officer-involved-shooting-leaves-one-dead-in-southaven-mbi-to-investigate/
https://www.actionnews5.com/2023/08/30/man-shot-killed-by-desoto-county-deputies/
https://www.supertalk.fm/more-details-released-in-desoto-county-officer-involved-shooting/
https://wreg.com/news/local/suspect-identified-in-deadly-officer-involved-shooting/
https://www.fox13memphis.com/news/man-dies-after-confrontation-with-desoto-county-sheriffs-office-mbi-says/article_bf298400-4733-11ee-bac8-7b827a36c749.html
https://www.actionnews5.com/2023/08/31/desoto-county-releases-statement-man-shot-killed-by-deputies/
https://desotocountynews.com/desoto-county-news/officer-involved-shooting-in-southaven/
https://desotocountynews.com/desoto-county-news/deputy-ruled-justified-in-officer-involved-shooting/
https://www.actionnews5.com/2025/02/13/deputy-who-shot-killed-southaven-man-was-justified-ag-rules/