iStock(CANTON, Miss.) — A deputy in Canton, Mississippi, was fighting for his life Thursday after being shot in the head following a high-speed chase.
The incident started after police received a call around 7:15 a.m. that a man had been abducted and tied up in a home in northeast Madison County, the local Sheriff Randy Tucker said during a press conference.
When deputies arrived, Tucker said the suspect fled at high speed in a vehicle, and officers followed. After the suspect crashed, that’s when he allegedly opened fire on pursuing deputies. The sheriff said officers returned fire and struck the suspect.
“There were injuries to officers and the suspect,” Tucker said Thursday.
At this time, Tucker said they are not releasing the names of those shot.
Without identifying the victims or taking questions, Alan Jones, a doctor and the chairman of the Department of Emergency Medicine at the University of Mississippi Medical Center said they received a patient with a gunshot wound and was stabilized, and talking, upon arrival.
“Subsequently he has been admitted to the intensive care unit in critical condition and will require some additional surgeries to help with his condition,” Jones said.
Authorities said they would update the condition of the officer later on Thursday.
District Attorney John Bramlett said the investigation into the incident was in the hands of the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation.
“This is an example of what law enforcement officers in this country face every day,” Mississippi Public Safety Commissioner Marshall Fisher said during the press conference. “This is a tough day for all law enforcement.”
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