MS. standoff suspect was armed and ‘ready for a fight,’ killing veteran police officer
Brandon MS June 2nd, 2023
A veteran law enforcement officer with the Madison Police Department was killed Thursday while responding to a standoff in a Brandon neighborhood.
Randy Tyler was “fatally wounded by the suspect,” who also died, according to the Madison Police Department.
A Brandon police officer was wounded earlier in the morning during a hostage situation that turned into a standoff. The officer, whose name hasn’t been released, is stable at a hospital, authorities said.
Brandon police Chief Wayne Dearman said the incident began about 1:45 a.m. Thursday when police received a call about a domestic incident at a home on Terrapin Hill North. There were two women inside the house, who told officers the suspect was wearing a bulletproof vest and was armed with a rifle and a handgun. One of the women was able to escape.
“When they arrived on-scene, the subject fired shots at officers,” Bailey Martin, a spokesperson with the Mississippi Department of Public Safety, said.
Dearman said the officer was shot in the side.
After talking for more than an hour with the suspect, the chief said they had reached a compromise.
“As we gave him what he asked for, (the hostage) was able to run out,” Dearman said.
The chief said the suspect, 22-year-old Gabriel Matthew Wilson, was armed with a rifle and a handgun and indicated “he was ready for a fight.”
At about 9:30 a.m., several shots were fired at the scene. About an hour later, Martin confirmed that an officer, along with the suspect, were killed.
Prior to working for MPD, Tyler retired as the chief of police for the Ridgeland Police Department.
“Randy will be sorely missed by all of his colleagues, family and friends. The Madison Police Department asks for the community’s support and prayers during this difficult time. Funeral arrangements will be provided once they have been finalized,” the department said in a Facebook post.
The Mississippi Bureau of Investigation is investigating the shooting.
Officers from a number of departments, including Brandon, Madison, Richland, Clinton, Capitol police and the Rankin County Sheriff’s Office, responded and spent hours at the scene.
