Investigator B. Cowart

B. Cowart

Investigator B. Cowart suffered a fatal heart attack after being assaulted by a prisoner at the Clay County Jail.

He was assisting West Point police officers with a civil rights march of students at Mississippi State University and was searching a student who had been arrested for blocking a sidewalk. The student suddenly spun around, grabbed Investigator Cowart, and pushed him to the ground. Investigator Cowart suffered a heart attack and was transported to a local hospital where he was pronounced dead.

The student was charged with manslaughter but the charges were later dismissed.

Investigator Cowart had served with the Mississippi Department of Public Safety for 19 years. He was survived by his wife, two daughters, and four siblings.