Two Tallahatchie County juveniles have been charged with felony murder after allegedly stealing a pickup truck in Charleston and crashing it into a vehicle occupied by a longtime Panola County law enforcement officer, who was killed.
During a Thursday night press conference at the Batesville Police Department, District Attorney John Champion said that Darion Dogan, 16, and Jonathan Taylor, 15, both from the Charleston area, are being held at the Panola County Jail in Batesville.
The victim, District 2 Panola County Constable Eula Ray "Raye" Hawkins, 58, of Courtland, died at the scene of the accident, Champion noted. Hawkins, also known as Raye, had been in law enforcement since 1990.
In a statement emailed to media outlets Thursday night, Sgt. Marvin N. Baird, public affairs officer for Mississippi Highway Patrol Troop E, said Hawkins was southbound in a 2004 Mercury Grand Marquis when he collided at about 2:16 p.m. Thursday with the stolen northbound 2018 Chevrolet Colorado near the intersections of Mississippi highways 35 and 6 in Batesville.
Hawkins, Champion said, "was killed in the line of duty" while trying to assist two Batesville police units that were parked awaiting the approaching pickup.
The DA said Hawkins was in his Batesville office when the radio transmission about the stolen truck went out.
"He heard the call on the radio and left to go help, which doesn't surprise anybody that knew him," Champion noted.
Hawkins' son, a Batesville police officer, was among the first to respond to the accident scene, said Batesville Police Chief James E. "Jimmy" McCloud.
"It's just a heartbreaking experience," added McCloud, who described Hawkins as a public servant always ready to spring to the aid of Batesville-area law enforcement agencies.
District Attorney John Champion (left) and Batesville Police Chief Jimmy McCloud speak to reporters at a press conference Thursday night, Dec. 12. (The Panolian photo by Jeremy Weldon)
A former Batesville police officer himself — Hawkins worked with the DARE (Drug Abuse Resistance Education) program in local schools — he also had experience as a Panola County sheriff's deputy.
As constable, his district encompassed southern Panola County. Unopposed for re-election this year, Hawkins would have begun his fourth term in January.
"It's just a heartbreaking, sad moment for not only Batesville Police Department and Panola County Sheriff's Department, but through the whole field of law enforcement," McCloud noted. "We just ask everybody to pray for this family ... through this difficult moment."
Timmy Mitchell, owner of Mitchell's Repair Shop in Charleston, told The Sun-Sentinel that his wife was in the office and witnessed the Colorado pickup, their vehicle, being stolen from in front of their business on South Franklin Street and reported the crime.
The district attorney said a Tallahatchie County sheriff's deputy met the just reported stolen vehicle as it was traveling north on Highway 35 between Charleston and Batesville and gave pursuit.
"There really wasn't a chase," Champion explained, adding that the deputy "turned around and initiated his blue lights, but by the time he did that, the vehicle was way gone in front of him."
Champion said the stolen truck was traveling at a high rate of speed when it came upon Hawkins' car.
"The speed we believe the vehicle was going, there was nothing [Hawkins] could do, and they crashed right into him ... crushed and mangled his vehicle and he died instantly," he noted.
Champion added that the pursuing Tallahatchie County sheriff's deputy "was probably close to a mile behind when the actual collision took place."
The two teens were not injured, he said.
A conviction for felony murder, "which is basically a death that occurred during the commission of a felony," Champion explained, carries a penalty of life imprisonment.
"It's a tragic set of events that never, ever, ever should have happened," he said. "But we say that a lot."
The district attorney said he did not know whether the two teens had a criminal record, adding, "If they did, it would be juvenile. And I couldn't release that."
He said Dogan and Taylor know the seriousness of the charges against them. "Do they understand the full ramifications of it? I have no clue," he noted.
Champion took the opportunity of the press conference to lament the high rate of crimes committed by juveniles.
"You see so much of this happen when these young kids, in my opinion, don't care or don't understand the value of human life. ... don't have an understanding of what human life really is," he said. "I wish I had an answer to it. I wish I understood it."
While deferring to the DA's office and the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation, which is leading the investigation into Thursday's accident, two Tallahatchie County lawmen voiced their feelings about the outcome.
"A guy lost his life, and it's very sad that he lost his life doing the job he did," said Charleston Police Chief Justin Gammage.
Sheriff Jimmy Fly encouraged everyone to "pray for the family of Ray Hawkins."
IN THE TOP PHOTO: Panola County Constable Ray "Raye" Hawkins is pictured speaking at a political function in this file photo by Jeremy Weldon of The Panolian.
