Hazelhurst Police Chief Darian Murray confirmed that one of the police officers who arrived at the scene where a body was found at the side of a road realized that the victim was her son. The body was found on Larkin St in the city of Hazelhurst, which is located just outside of Jackson.
Officer Laquandia Cooley found her son dead upon arrival.
“We initially responded to the call, not knowing when I made it over there, the person was going to be my son that was laying there,” she recalled. RELATED: ‘Hero’ Nanny Praised After She Died While Saving Toddler From Being Hit By Truck 20-year-old Charles Stewart, Jr had been fatally shot in the head before Cooley even had a chance to try to save him. — WLBT 3 On Your Side (@WLBT) January 3, 2022 She says seeing him lying on the street is a sight she will never forget. “As we get out, I look and I was like, ‘This is my son, this is my son.’ So, I literally just go into a break down you know? Like, why? Who would do this to my son?” The surreal moment is every parent’s worst nightmare and one Cooley never anticipated in her career. RELATED: Man Who Stopped Wife From Driving Drunk Charged With Manslaughter After She Died Walking Home “I couldn’t even believe what I was seeing. I was seeing my own son laying there on the ground dead. It was pretty much a panic. It was just, it was too much.”
Charles Stewart Jr. has been described as a good person.
His father says he got along with everyone and wasn’t someone who would bother others. He says he could not believe his son was dead when he received the tragic news. RELATED: Abandoned Baby Found In Cardboard Box On New Year’s Eve With Heartbreaking Note From Mother “It’s traumatizing for the whole family. We’re just trying to cope day to day. Just trying to figure out why this happened and who could have did this,” Cooley said. The exact cause of death is pending an autopsy, but Murray said the gunshot wound Stewart sustained is likely the cause. Chief Darian Murray also said that because the case involves an officer’s family member, the case will be handed over to the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation. No suspect has been identified at this time. Charles Stewart Jr is survived by his parents, an older sister, who had just turned 22 years old last week, and a 17-year-old brother. RELATED: Los Angeles Socialite Out On $2 Million Bond After Killing Two Boys In Hit & Run Alice Kelly is a senior news and entertainment editor for YourTango. Based out of Brooklyn, New York, her work covers all things social justice, pop culture, and human interest. Keep up with her Twitter for more.
