Mississippi cop found son’s body after responding to a shooting call

A Mississippi police officer who responded to a shooting call, unfortunately, found the lifeless body of her son when she arrived at the scene. According to WLBT, the shooting happened on Larkin Street on Sunday morning, and Officer Laquandia Cooley was one of the officers who responded to the scene.

Cooley was initially unaware the shooting victim was her 20-year-old son, Charles Stewart, Jr. “We initially responded to the call, not knowing when I made it over there, the person was going to be my son that was laying there,” Officer Cooley said.

Stewart was fatally shot in the head, and his body was found in the middle of the street. The 20-year-old victim passed away before his mother arrived. “As we get out, I look and I was like, ‘This is my son, this is my son.’ So, I literally just go into a break down you know? Like, why? Who would do this to my son?” Cooley recalled.

The grieving mother told WLBT she’ll never forget that sight. “I couldn’t even believe what I was seeing. I was seeing my own son laying there on the ground dead. It was pretty much a panic. It was just, it was too much.”

The victim’s father, Charles Stewart, also said his son was a good and friendly person, and he had no issues with anyone. So he found the news of his son’s killing hard to believe.

“It’s traumatizing for the whole family. We’re just trying to cope day to day. Just trying to figure out why this happened and who could have did this,” Stewart said.

Hazlehurst Police Chief Darian Murray said the case will be transferred to the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation as the victim is related to an officer.