Lowndes County Sheriff’s Office Lt. Steve Hatcher remains on administrative leave indefinitely after a Monday shooting.
Hatcher was placed on leave until the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation completes its probe into the incident, where Hatcher shot a burglary suspect.
Law enforcement agencies typically place officers on leave when they are involved in a shooting. How long depends on the individual and reports from the investigating agency.
“There are circumstances that come into play there, but pretty much for the standard we put a person on administrative leave with pay after a situation like that,” said Greg Wright, chief deputy for the Lowndes County Sheriff’s Office, who confirmed Hatcher was the deputy involved in the incident.
“And we stay in touch with the agency conducting the investigation and also the person involved and make sure everything is OK with the person in that respect,” Wright continued Thursday, noting counseling and other post-incident programs are offered for the deputy.
Peer support is important after such an incident, said Mark Miley, LCSO training officer.
“Nobody knows what an officer goes through except another officer,” Miley said.
Officers throughout the state are on hand as a support group for officers “involved in critical incidents,” Miley said, noting the level of counseling depends on how the officer reacts to the incident.
“We go in and we meet with the officer and anybody he wants us to talk to,” Miley explained. “He is offered counseling through other services if he needs it or wants it.”
When Hatcher responded to the home burglary call at 115 Renee Circle Monday morning, he saw Steven Craig McKee on Mike Parra Road, and a brief chase ensued. Hatcher advised dispatchers that McKee was armed with a knife and, according to Wright, McKee came toward Hatcher, and the deputy shot him twice.
McKee, of 1038 Mike Parra Road, remains at Baptist Memorial Hospital-Golden Triangle. He faces charges of aggravated assault of an officer, felony possession of a weapon and burglary of a dwelling.
He also could face charges of animal cruelty in the stabbing of a mixed-breed Labrador Retriever-German Shepherd; officers found the dog when they searched McKee’s home.
There was blood on the floor, and the dog had been stabbed at least 14 times. The dog underwent surgery at the Columbus-Lowndes Humane Society and is expected to survive.
This story contains reporting from Dispatch reporter Carmen Sisson.
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