Service held for fallen deputy: Who was Hinds County Deputy Martin Shields Jr. of Mississippi?
The celebration of life service for the 37-year-old deputy was held Sunday afternoon, a week after Shields was fatally shot on the evening of Feb. 23 while responding to a domestic dispute call at a home on Midway Road in Terry.
Born on July 14, 1987, Shields dedicated his life to serving his community and protecting his fellow citizens. This was evident in the hundreds of people who showed up to pay their respects, including Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves.
"We gather here today not just to mourn the loss of a hero who gave his life in service to his community, but we also come here today to celebrate a life well-lived. (Shields) represents the very best of Mississippi," Reeves said. "Shields will never be forgotten."
The family and friends of Shields were led in by a procession of law enforcement officials who entered the sanctuary in a double-file line. They approached the alter where Shields lay in a casket, one side open to reveal his serene face, the other side closed and draped with an American flag, symbolizing his service and sacrifice.
Surrounding his casket were beautiful flowers, a representation of the love and admiration that surrounded Shields inside the sanctuary. Loved ones took their time saying their goodbyes before the casket was closed completely, a moment that was met with tears and sorrow.
What happened to the suspect? Suspect death confirmed after Hinds County deputy fatally shot in line of duty
Martin was educated in the Jackson Public School District, graduating from Lanier High School in 2006. He attended Hinds Community College before pursuing his true passion in law enforcement at the Mississippi Law Enforcement Officers Training Academy, graduating in 2016. Martin had an extensive career in law enforcement working at Jackson State University, Jackson Police Department, Ridgeland Police Department and the Hinds County Sheriff's Office, where Shields served until his death.
Martin leaves behind his wife, Kristian, and his daughter, Aubrey. Martin also survived his father, Martin Shields Sr., and his mother, Marcie Levy.
Hinds County Sheriff Tyree Jones said Shields was not only a member of the law enforcement family but a beacon of commitment, a protector and a friend to the communities in which he served.
'Job well done thy faithful servant," Jones said, directing his comments to the fallen officer. "You will forever be a part of us. May your legacy live on in the many lives that you've touched."
Jones was one of several speakers at the service who spoke highly of Shields, not only as a dedicated deputy and a loyal classmate but, most importantly, as a person. Their words painted a picture of a man who was deeply loved and respected by all who knew him.
Jackson Police Chief Joseph Wade said that over the three years employed with the JPD, Shields did not just show up to work but to work hard, serving citizens of Jackson located in Precinct 1 of South Jackson. Wade noted Shields received the "I am COJ (City of Jackson) Award" for his heroic actions in administering NARCAN to an individual, saving their life.
Wade said when Shields accepted the award, Shields stated, "I just get out here to do my job. I really don't like looking forward to any awards, just making people smile is the best thing that I can do."
What does data say about crimes in MS? It's hard to say. Nearly 60% of MS law enforcement agencies are not submitting crime data. See who is not
Wade presented a plaque to the family to commemorate Shields' service to the city of Jackson. Wade also presented to the family a "Shadow Box" containing Shields' badge and ID from his tenure with Jackson police.
'God bless you, and we will continue to keep you uplifted in our prayers,' Wade said to the family.
Ridgeland Police Corp. Phillip Kendrick fondly recalled working night shift rotations with Shields, a time when the duo was affectionately nicknamed "Bad Boys" by the people they encountered.
"You couldn't see him without me and vice versa," Kendrick said.
Hinds County Sgt. Ronnie Hubbard, who supervised Shields for eight months, described him as a highly dependable individual who exemplified the best qualities of wearing a badge. Hubbard said Shields embodied courage, passion and unwavering commitment to being a public servant.
"Your sacrifices will never be forgotten. Rest in peace knowing that your service made a difference," Hubbard said.
Anthony Brown, Jr. and Robert Jones III recognized as friends of Shields said, 'to know Martin is to love him unconditionally.'
'A good man, good person, good officer': Jackson police chief on shooting death of Hinds County deputy, two homicides over weekend
Several agencies were in attendance, including the Hattiesburg Police Department, Madison Police Department and Leake County Sheriff's Office. Pastor Jennifer Biard delivered the eulogy.
This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Funeral for Hinds County Deputy Martin Shields Jr of Mississippi
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
San Francisco Chronicle
2 hours ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
Trump's aggressive push to take over DC policing may be a template for an approach in other cities
WASHINGTON (AP) — The left sees President Donald Trump's attempted takeover of Washington law enforcement as part of a multifront march to autocracy — 'vindictive authoritarian rule,' as one activist put it — and as an extraordinary thing to do in rather ordinary times on the streets of the capital. To the right, it's a bold move to fracture the crust of Democratic urban bureaucracy and make D.C. a better place to live. Where that debate settles — if it ever does — may determine whether Washington, a symbol for America in all its granite glory, history, achievement, inequality and dysfunction, becomes a model under the imprint of Trump for how cities are policed, cleaned up and run, or ruined. Under the name of his Making D.C. Safe and Beautiful Task Force, Trump put some 800 National Guard troops on Washington streets this past week, declaring at the outset, 'Our capital city has been overtaken by violent gangs and bloodthirsty criminals.' Grunge was also on his mind. 'If our capital is dirty, our whole country is dirty, and they don't respect us.' He then upped the stakes by declaring federal control of the district's police department and naming an emergency chief. That set off alarms and prompted local officials to sue to stop the effort. 'I have never seen a single government action that would cause a greater threat to law and order than this dangerous directive,' Police Chief Pamela Smith said. On Friday, the Trump administration partially retreated from its effort to seize control of the Metropolitan Police Department when a judge, skeptical that the president had the authority to do what he tried to do, urged both sides to reach a compromise, which they did — at least for now. Trump's Justice Department agreed to leave Smith in control, while still intending to instruct her department on law enforcement practices. In a new memo, Attorney General Pam Bondi directed the force to cooperate with federal immigration enforcement regardless of any city law. In this heavily Democratic city, local officials and many citizens did not like the National Guard deployment. At the same time, they acknowledged the Republican president had the right to order it because of the federal government's unique powers in the district. But Trump's attempt to seize formal control of the police department, for the first time since D.C. gained a partial measure of autonomy in the Home Rule Act of 1973, was their red line. When the feds stepped in For sure, there have been times when the U.S. military has been deployed to American streets, but almost always in the face of a riot or a calamitous event like the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. Trump's use of force was born of an emergency that he saw and city officials — and many others — did not. A stranger to nuance, Trump has used the language of emergency to justify much of what he's done: his deportations of foreigners, his tariffs, his short-term deployment of National Guard troops to Los Angeles, and now his aggressive intervention into Washington policing. Washington does have crime and endemic homelessness, like every city in the country. But there was nothing like an urban fire that the masses thought needed to be quelled. Violent crime is down, as it is in many U.S. cities. Washington is also a city about which most Americans feel ownership — or at least that they have a stake. More than 25 million of them visited in 2024, a record year, plus over 2 million people from abroad. It's where middle schoolers on field trips get to see what they learn about in class — and perhaps to dance to pop tunes with the man with the music player so often in front of the White House. Washington is part federal theme park, with its historic buildings and museums, and part downtown, where restaurants and lobbyists outnumber any corporate presence. Neighborhoods range from the places where Jeff Bezos set a record for a home purchase price to destitute streets in economically depressed areas that are also magnets for drugs and crime. In 1968, the capital was a city on fire with riots. Twenty years later, a murder spree and crack epidemic fed the sense of a place out of control. But over the last 30 years, the city's population and its collective wealth have swelled. A cooked-up emergency? Against that backdrop, Philadelphia's top prosecutor, District Attorney Larry Krasner, a Democrat, assailed Trump's moves in Washington. 'You're talking about an emergency, really?' Krasner said, as if speaking with the president. 'Or is it that you're talking about an emergency because you want to pretend everything is an emergency so that you can roll tanks?" In Washington, a coalition of activists called Not Above the Law denounced what they saw as just the latest step by Trump to seize levers of power he has no business grasping. 'The onslaught of lawlessness and autocratic activities has escalated,' said Lisa Gilbert, co-chair of the group and co-president of Public Citizen. 'The last two weeks should have crystallized for all Americans that Donald Trump will not stop until democracy is replaced by vindictive authoritarian rule.' Fifty miles northeast, in the nearest major city, Baltimore's Democratic mayor criticized what he saw as Trump's effort to distract the public from economic pain and 'America's falling standing in the world.' 'Every mayor and police chief in America works with our local federal agents to do great work — to go after gun traffickers, to go after violent organizations,' Brandon Scott said. 'How is taking them off of that job, sending them out to just patrol the street, making our country safer?' But the leader of the D.C. Police Union, Gregg Pemberton, endorsed Trump's intervention — while saying it should not become permanent. 'We stand with the president in recognizing that Washington, D.C., cannot continue on this trajectory,' Pemberton said. From his vantage point, 'Crime is out of control, and our officers are stretched beyond their limits.' The Home Rule Act lets a president invoke certain emergency powers over the police department for 30 days, after which Congress must decide whether to extend the period. Trump's attempt to use that provision stirred interest among some Republicans in Congress in giving him an even freer hand. Among them, Rep. Andy Ogles of Tennessee drafted a resolution that would eliminate the time limit on federal control. This, he told Fox News Digital, would 'give the president all the time and authority he needs to crush lawlessness, restore order, and reclaim our capital once and for all.' Which raises a question that Trump has robustly hinted at and others are wondering, too: If there is success in the district — at least, success in the president's eyes — what might that mean for other American cities he thinks need to be fixed? Where does — where could — the federal government go next?
New York Post
9 hours ago
- New York Post
Special Attorney Ed Martin checks out Tish James' ‘mortgage fraud' home
Department of Justice Special Attorney Ed Martin was spotted in Brooklyn Friday inspecting Tish James' multi-family residential property that is at the center of a federal mortgage fraud investigation. Martin, conspicuous in a beige trench coat, visited the Clinton Hill brownstone a week after being appointed by Attorney General Pam Bondi to run parallel mortgage fraud probes into the New York attorney general and her fellow Trump-deranged Democrat, California Sen. Adam Schiff. Grand juries in Virginia and Maryland are currently weighing criminal indictments for James and Schiff respectively over allegations they falsified property records to secure favorable loan terms. 3 Department of Justice Special Attorney Ed Martin was seen at the Clinton Hill section in Brooklyn, NY, inspecting the home of New York Attorney General Letitia James. Gregory P. Mango James' Brooklyn property at 296 Lafayette Avenue is classified as a five-unit dwelling, but James is alleged to have misrepresented the building on mortgage applications, building permits, and filings for government assistance as having only four units. The alleged misclassification allowed her to qualify for loans with better interest rates and lower down payments through Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, which are only available for properties with four or fewer residential units. Every week, Post columnist Miranda Devine sits down for exclusive and candid conversations with the most influential disruptors in Washington. Subscribe here! At the time Martin was inspecting the property on Friday afternoon, there was one doorbell visible at the main entrance and an additional four door bells at a side entrance, with weathered labels signifying '1 Floor,' '2 Floor,' '3A,' and '3B.' A neighbor confronted Martin and an unidentified colleague as they were standing out the front of the property and asked them what they were doing. Get Miranda's latest take Sign up for Devine Online, the newsletter from Miranda Devine Thanks for signing up! Enter your email address Please provide a valid email address. By clicking above you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Want even more news? Check out more newsletters 'Tell me why you're here,' said the middle aged blonde in navy gym shorts and black tank top. 'We know who lives here . . . You're not here about the houses. You're here because of who lives here. It's my neighborhood. It's my block. I have a right to know what you guys are doing.' Martin replied: 'I'm just happy to be on a block looking at houses . . . I'm just looking at houses, interesting houses. It's an important house.' 3 James' property located at 296 Lafayette Avenue is classified as a five-unit complex, but James allegedly misclassified the unit on mortgage applications, claiming the building only had four units. New York Post 'It's not,' retorted the neighbor. 'It's just like every other tract house on this block that was built by developers.' 'They're beautiful, beautiful neighborhood,' Martin told her, before walking away. The investigation into James' real estate holdings began in April when Federal Housing Finance Agency Director Bill Pulte sent a criminal referral to the Justice Department. Pulte alleged James may have 'falsified bank documents and property records to acquire government backed assistance and loans and more favorable loan terms' by claiming a Norfolk, Virginia, home she bought in 2023 would be her 'principal residence' while acting as New York AG, and that the property she owns in Brooklyn was her second residence. 3 The misfilings have led James to be granted loans with better interest rates and lower down payments. New York Post The case also includes allegations that James and her father signed mortgage papers listing themselves as 'husband and wife' to meet lending rules. Both James and Schiff deny any wrongdoing. 'Bill Pulte and his FHFA team got this started with his criminal referral,' Martin said last week. 'And as Tish James and Adam Schiff always say: 'Nobody is above the law.' ' Special attorneys are empowered to conduct criminal proceedings, including grand jury investigations and prosecutions, usually in sensitive or high-profile cases, and can operate outside the district where the case is pending.
Politico
9 hours ago
- Politico
Turkish Adams Donor Sentenced
With help from Amira McKee THE FINAL STRAW? Construction executive Erden Arkan must not have friends in the Trump administration like Mayor Eric Adams does. So while the Department of Justice moved to dismiss the mayor's case, the wheels of justice kept turning for Arkan. The Turkish-American co-owner of KSK Construction Group was given a light sentence of one year probation today in Manhattan federal court. He'll also pay a $9,500 fine and $18,000 in restitution after pleading guilty in January to giving 10 employees $1,250 each to donate to Adams' campaign. But even while accepting that he broke New York City campaign finance laws, Arkan's lawyer Jonathan Rosen presented him as a victim of 'an unprecedented act of prosecutorial discretion,' suggesting that federal prosecutors with the Southern District of New York wanted to salvage some sort of a win following the tumult and rounds of resignations over the dismissal of Adams' case. Rosen also suggested Arkan's case never should have been brought in federal court in the first place, arguing he was 'targeted… to serve some greater end in a bureaucratic power struggle over the Adams case.' While an official from the Turkish consulate helped coordinate Arkan's May 2021 fundraising event for Adams, Rosen said that Arkan 'never had any knowledge of foreign interference' alleged by federal prosecutors. He maintained that neither the Adams campaign nor the Turkish consulate knew about Arkan's straw donor scheme, which he'd cooked up himself. Judge Dale Ho dismissed the arguments. While he conceded 'it is true that there is some incongruency between the government's handling of Mr. Arkan's case and Mayor Adams' case,' he was firm that 'there is not a shred of evidence in the record' indicating that the prosecutors acted wrongly prosecuting Arkan. Another related case hasn't been resolved yet. Former Adams aide Mohamed Bahi pleaded guilty Tuesday to helping to organize a separate straw donor scheme for Adams' 2021 campaign. While Adams himself hasn't been accused of coordinating straw donations, the practice has been a serious problem for his campaign. Adams' old friend Dwayne Montgomery pleaded guilty last year along with other co-conspirators to giving Adams illegal donations, and THE CITY has reported on numerous examples of more apparent straw donations to Adams. Rep. Dan Goldman, a former federal prosecutor, told Playbook earlier this week that this wasn't an ideal outcome for Adams' case. 'As a prosecutor, I never liked when, ultimately, the only people held accountable for their crimes were the lower level people,' he said. 'But under the circumstances, when you've charged someone and there's a legitimate reason to charge that person, the right thing to do is to finish off the case.' — Jeff Coltin From the Capitol LET'S ALL GO TO THE (ASSEMBLY) LOBBY: New York moviegoers might soon have an easier time skipping the increasingly lengthy block of advertisements and trailers shown before the film starts, if a bill introduced this week becomes law. Assemblymember Clyde Vanel wants to require theaters to display the time a movie actually starts when promoting showings or selling tickets. His proposal comes as movies increasingly start as much as half an hour after the advertised time. 'For the consumer, this can have a real monetary and social impact,' he wrote in his memo accompanying the bill. 'Consumers not only may leave obligations earlier than they needed to in order to see the motion picture, but they may also consume their snacks purchased at the theater prior to the movie beginning.' 'There is no justification for deceiving consumers,' he wrote, especially since moviegoers 'cannot bring their own snacks to eat if they consumed their purchased snacks within the extremely long 30-minute preview period.' The bill would not apply to broadcasts of the Assembly session — where starting within half an hour of the scheduled time would be a major improvement. — Bill Mahoney FROM THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL NO 'SHOOK ONES': Queens Borough President Donovan Richards pledged today to help turn out Black voters for Zohran Mamdani in November, evoking both Martin Luther King Jr. and Mobb Deep in his enthusiastic endorsement. The Democratic mayoral nominee's policies — including a rent freeze and free and fast buses — are common sense, not socialism, Richards said in the borough that he and Mamdani both call home. Richmond Hill, Queens was the last stop of Mamdani's 'Five Boroughs Against Trump' tour. 'Count me in as a democratic socialist if it means that everyday New Yorkers will be able to afford this city,' Richards said, adding that civil rights icon King 'was called a socialist and communist as well' and referencing hip-hoppers Mobb Deep by boasting that there are no 'shook ones' in the borough, a reference to the group's hit song. Richards had previewed his endorsement of Mamdani a day earlier. One of Mamdani's biggest weak spots electorally has been politically moderate Black voters in areas like southeast Queens. And while he now has Richards as a surrogate, Queens Democratic Party leader Rep. Greg Meeks has yet to endorse him. (A Meeks spokesperson did not respond today to a query on whether the House member plans to meet with Mamdani.) Mamdani's support in the primary was stronger in parts of the city that are heavily gentrified. Southeast Queens includes neighborhoods that have resisted being priced out. Mamdani acknowledged the critical balance between creating homes for new residents without pushing out longer-term residents. 'One of the many things I appreciate about the borough president is how he has been able to chart a course of building more housing (though) not at the expense of displacing those who already live there,' he said. — Emily Ngo SEX WORK DEBATE: Andrew Cuomo went on the offensive today over Mamdani's past support for state legislation that would decriminalize sex work in New York. The former governor said in a statement that he spent years fighting iterations of the bill over concerns it would lead to an increase in sex trafficking and exploitation of vulnerable New Yorkers. 'Mark my words: This is the real world and if passed, this legislation will open the floodgates,' Cuomo said in the statement. 'Mamdani may not remember the bad old days of New York City, where Times Square was seedy and crime infested and New Yorkers knew which neighborhoods to avoid at all costs. We do, and no one should be eager to return to that era.' Cuomo's stance was backed by Sonia Ossorio, executive director at National Organization for Women New York City. Ossorio has previously criticized Mamdani's position on decriminalization. 'Full decriminalization doesn't protect vulnerable people — it expands a market that thrives on exploitation, human trafficking, and crime in our neighborhoods,' she said in a statement. Mamdani twice co-sponsored a bill that would decriminalize sex work and clear past arrest records related to prostitution while still allowing law enforcement to go after trafficking operations. Campaign spokesperson Dora Pekec declined to say whether Mamdani still supports the concept and whether he would advocate for the legislation from City Hall if elected. But she noted that the Democratic nominee has pledged additional resources to assist victims of prostitution and sex trafficking. 'While Andrew Cuomo is only interested in 'governing' behind a phone screen, Zohran is committed to genuine public safety, including combatting sex trafficking,' Pekec said in a statement that referenced a new department Mamdani plans to create. 'His Department of Community Safety will invest $40 million towards victims services including for programs like Safe Horizon, for which funding has been cut in past budgets.' The issue of whether to decriminalize sex work has been the subject of heated debate over the years. Organizations like DecrimNY, a coalition of sex workers and various organizations aligned with the decriminalization movement, argue the changes would make sex workers safer by allowing them to report violence or unsafe working conditions to authorities without fear of arrest while delivering more autonomy to consenting adults. — Joe Anuta IN THE COURTS CANNABIS REGULATORS SUED AGAIN: A dozen cannabis dispensary licensees are suing the state over a flip-flop on the cannabis agency's interpretation of the state's 2021 legalization law. 'The consequences are staggering. Petitioners' investments, often more than a million dollars, are now at risk' the petition reads. 'Their livelihoods are being threatened.' The petitioners are licensed under the Conditional Adult-use Retail Dispensary (CAURD) and Social and Economic Equity (SEE) licensing programs, which prioritize entrepreneurs with past cannabis convictions, women and minorities. The legal challenge seeks to block regulators from enforcing a new interpretation of school distance requirements in the state's cannabis legalization law, which would force licensees out of their dispensary locations that had been previously approved by the agency. Agency about-face: Earlier this month, the Office of Cannabis Management notified more than 100 licensees that their dispensary locations could be impacted due to the agency's misinterpretation of state law. The licensees are asking the court to annul the agency's new interpretation of the law, declare their locations compliant and block the state from taking any enforcement actions against them over the school distance requirement. A spokesperson for the OCM said that the office does not comment on pending litigation. The agency is proposing a legislative fix that would allow licensees to remain in their locations, but emphasized on its website that passing such legislation 'is not a guarantee.' The state is also creating an $15 million applicant relief fund for up to $250,000 per applicant to help find new locations. — Mona Zhang IN OTHER NEWS —26 FED PLAZA: As fewer immigrants show up for their court hearings, arrests at 26 Federal Plaza's immigration courthouses are nearing a standstill. (THE CITY) — GOV. CLEMENCY: Hochul pardoned a Laotian immigrant Friday to stop his deportation. (The New York Times) — CUT THE CHECK: Progressive Democrats in the New York Legislature are decrying Hochul's $2 billion rebate program as fiscally irresponsible amid looming federal cuts. (Gothamist) Missed this morning's New York Playbook? We forgive you. Read it here.
