Jason Simmons Obituary, Death; – A four-hour standoff occurred between a SWAT team from the Harrison County Sheriff’s Office and a man who had barricaded himself inside a shed, concluding Wednesday night when the man was shot and killed during an exchange of gunfire with law enforcement, according to authorities.
Family members have identified the individual as Jason Simmons, 40, from Saucier. The standoff commenced around 6 p.m. when deputies arrived at a residence on Turan Road in Saucier to take Simmons for a mental evaluation. His brother, David Simmons, stated that the family had secured a court order on Wednesday due to Jason Simmons’ struggles with substance abuse and mental health issues.
Authorities reported that Jason Simmons fired upon the deputies who were there to serve the order, subsequently barricading himself alone in a shed on the property until he was fatally shot around 10:30 p.m. The Mississippi Bureau of Investigation, which is responsible for overseeing all incidents involving law enforcement shootings, announced late Wednesday that it would assume control of the case.
The agency indicated that Jason Simmons died after he “displayed a firearm” and engaged in gunfire with law enforcement. Fortunately, no officers sustained injuries. The standoff took place on a rural section of Turan Road situated between Highway 67 and Saucier-Fairley Road, where family members reported that Jason Simmons resided with his parents. David Simmons remarked that his brother was a “great person” when sober but had been grappling with mental health issues for the past five years.
He also expressed his belief that his brother may have been under the influence of drugs during the standoff and wished that law enforcement could have allowed for a peaceful surrender once the effects had diminished. “For the most part, he was a good guy,” David Simmons stated. “There’s no easy way to look at it.” The Mississippi Bureau of Investigation mentioned that it was in the process of collecting evidence and would provide its findings to the Attorney General’s office.
