Off-duty cop driving for USPS shot to death after truck stalls, Mississippi cops say
An off-duty state trooper working part-time for the U.S. Postal Service was found shot to death in his mail truck at 4:30 a.m. Friday.
Troy Morris, 58, was a 27-year veteran of the Mississippi Highway Patrol.
“He was a good man, a friend and a valuable member of this agency,” MHP director Col. Randy Ginn, said. “He will truly be missed by the Mississippi Highway Patrol. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family.”
Morris was driving along U.S. 61 around 4 a.m. when one of his tires went flat. He reported the flat to the MHP and called the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Department to request an officer to watch the truck while he waited for the USPS to send another, WAPT reported.
Help came quick, but in the short window between Morris’ call and a deputy’s arrival, he had been shot and killed. Nothing appears to have been stolen from the truck, authorities said.
The Mississippi Bureau of Investigation is investigating the killing.
“Local, state and federal agents will work tirelessly to ensure justice,” MBI commissioner Sean Tindell said.
No suspect has been identified, the Natchez Democrat reported.
“The body of Trooper Morris was escorted under heavy guard to the Mississippi Crime Lab where he will have an autopsy,” coroner James Lee told the outlet. “I can’t believe someone would gun down a police officer like that.”
A $108,000 reward is being offered by the U.S. Postal Service, Mississippi Crime Stoppers, and the MS State Troopers Association, for information leading to an arrest.
USPS’s tip line is 1-877-876-2455. Or to contact MS Crime Stoppers, dial 1-888-827-4637.
