Louisa County ,VA : One person Killed and Two others injured after wrong-way wreck along Interstate 64 in Louisa County on Thursday ,June 11th 2015

A Mississippi correctional officer was killed in the line of duty on Monday.

The veteran correctional officer was killed in a car crash at 3:17 pm while helping to escort an inmate from Greene County Hospital to Forrest General Hospital.

Officer Iris Smith, 53, of Lucedale died instantly when the Mississippi Department of Corrections van she was driving crashed into the back of an 18-wheeler at J M Tatum Industrial Drive on U.S. 49 in Hattiesburg.

Smith was driving alone while another officer was with the inmate in an ambulance.

Gov. Phil Bryant issued a statement today about the officer's death.

“Deborah and I are saddened by this untimely death and pray for strength for her family and loved ones,” Bryant said.

Smith, a sergeant, worked at South Mississippi Correctional Institution in Greene County. She also had worked at George County Community Work Center since being hired Oct. 2, 2000. She was commended for extra effort.

MDOC last had an officer killed in the line of duty in 1999.

“Our thoughts and prayers are with Sgt. Smith's family,” Corrections Commissioner Marshall Fisher said. “Her unexpected death shows how fragile life is. It's the kind of news we all dread hearing. She was driving from one destination to another as a certified peace officer to provide the secure custody and control of an inmate when her life was cut short.”

The crash is still under investigation by the Hattiesburg Police Department.


Source :
1 person killed, 2 others injured in wrong-way wreck on I-64 in Louisa County