Lee County Sheriff's Department, Mississippi
End of Watch: Monday, March 2, 1998
Age: 20
Tour of Duty: 4 years
Badge Number: Not available
Cause of Death: Gunfire
Date of Incident: March 2, 1998
Weapon Used: Handgun
Suspect Info: Sentenced to life + 75 years
Deputy Jailer Casey Ryan Harmon was shot and killed by a 16-year-old detainee who was about to be released for a shoplifting charge at the Lee County Juvenile Detention Center at 454 Commerce Street in Tupelo.
The juvenile was between two locked doors when Deputy Harmon opened one of the doors in anticipation of the stepfather's arrival. After he turned his back, the subject shot him in the back of the head once with a small handgun he had managed to conceal in his shoe. The subject then took Deputy Harmon's keys and released another juvenile prisoner, and took Deputy Harmon's weapon, which was kept in a lock box while he was on duty. The two subjects then left the facility and called another juvenile to come to pick them up. They were later stopped in a nearby county and taken into custody.
The subject was sentenced to life plus 75 years.
Deputy Harmon had served with Lee County Sheriff's Department for three months and had been with a neighboring agency as a part-time patrol deputy for one year. He is survived by his wife, parents, and two brothers. In 2021, his brother became the Chief of Police of the Houston Police Department in Mississippi.