UPDATE:
JACKSON, Miss. (WJTV) – Pearl police announced they arrested a 20-year-old Flowood man after a chase into Jackson on Thursday, July 20.
According to Greg Flynn, the public information director for the City of Pearl, officers attempted to make a traffic stop on a Toyota Camry for speeding on Interstate 20 W. just before 11:00 a.m. They said Brandon Andrews did not pull over, and officers chased him into Jackson city limits.
Police said Andrews crashed into a U.S. Postal Service vehicle on Maria Drive just off McDowell Road. The Postal Service employee was injured and transported to the University of Mississippi Medical Center (UMMC) in Jackson. He died due to his injuries.
Hinds County Coroner Sharon Grisham-Stewart identified the victim as Brad Pennington, 32. Grisham-Stewart said his cause of death appears to be blunt force head trauma from ejection of postal vehicle.
Police said Andrews fled the scene after the crash, but he was taken into custody shortly afterwards. He was taken to the Pearl Police Department and later to the Rankin County Detention Center. He is facing multiple charges.
The Mississippi Highway Patrol, along with the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation and the U.S. Postal Service are investigating this crash at the request of the Pearl Police Department.
Jackson Mayor Chokwe A. Lumumba released a statement about the death of Pennington.
First off, I want to send my condolences to the family, friends and co-workers of the U.S. Postal Service carrier who lost her life today in Jackson. The postal truck was struck by the driver of a vehicle who was involved in a police chase with Pearl police. As a result, the carrier died from injuries sustained in the crash.
According to a media release from the City of Pearl, the pursuit began after the suspect failed to pull over for a traffic stop.
I want to reiterate that police pursuits that enter our City from multiple jurisdictions do not make us safer. There are often tragic outcomes like this one for minor traffic stops, and we have experienced it before. What often isn’t considered is the effect these pursuits have on innocent bystanders and it is something we believe needs to be changed.
We aren’t anti-pursuit. We are anti-pursuit for minor violations which often spillover into tragic consequences for our community. With the advent of new technology, such as a growing camera surveillance network and tag readers, we can apprehend suspects without endangering the public.
If our effort is public safety, it has to be public safety in every regard.
We renew our request to the state Legislature to restrict the offenses for which multi-jurisdictional pursuits can occur in the City of Jackson.”
Chokwe A. Lumumba, Mayor of Jackson
JACKSON, Miss. (WJTV) – An employee for the U.S. Postal Service died in a vehicle accident on Thursday, July 20.
The crash happened on Maria Drive in Jackson. The employee has not been identified at this time.
The U.S. Postal Service released the following statement about the crash.
Earlier today a postal family member lost his life in a vehicular accident, which currently is under investigation. The U.S. Postal Service is deeply saddened at the loss of our employee, who had delivered mail for us since 2015. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family and his co-workers at this time.
Debra J. Fetterly, USPS Spokesperson, Alabama-Mississippi District
WJTV 12 News reached out to authorities for more information about the crash. We are waiting to hear back from them.