Troopers shoot, kill armed man after chase - WDAM.COM - TV 7 - News, Weather and Sports

Troopers shoot, kill armed man after chase

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Gerald John Wagner (Photo source: MS Dept. of Public Safety) Gerald John Wagner (Photo source: MS Dept. of Public Safety)
JACKSON, MS (WLOX) -

A Picayune man was shot dead by Mississippi state troopers Sunday after officers say he led them on a chase and fired shots at them.

It started in Monroe County around 4:30 Sunday afternoon. A trooper tried to stop a 1992 GMC Suburban on Highway 45. Investigators said the driver refused to stop, and even fired four shots at the pursuing officers.

Once the pursuit moved into Lee County, a Tupelo police officer deployed a "stop stick" in the highway. The SUV's tires blew out and the driver lost control.

The driver, who investigators have identified as Gerald John Wagner, 40, got out of the wrecked Suburban with a gun and ran away. After crossing Highway 45, the armed suspect turned toward troopers and was shot dead.

The Mississippi Bureau of Investigation is investigating.

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