Sergeant James Amos Meeks

James Amos Meeks

Sergeant James Meeks was shot and killed by an inmate at the Mississippi State Penitentiary.

The inmate had been assigned to a work detail at Sergeant Meeks' home which was located inside the prison complex. When Sergeant Meeks arrived home, at the end of his shift, the inmate attacked him, gained control of his service revolver and shot him. He was apprehended a short time later by a state trooper and a correctional officer.

The inmate, who was serving a life sentence for the murder of a Chinese merchant in 1969, was convicted of first-degree murder and received another life sentence on March 1st, 1973.

Sergeant Meeks was survived by his wife and six children. He was a retired U.S. Marine gunnery sergeant.