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A Mississippi police officer responded to a shooting scene over the weekend, only to discover the victim was her own son.
"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," Officer Laquandia Cooley told NBC affiliate WLBT of Jackson.
On Sunday (January 2), officers from the Hazlehurst Police Department were called to a scene of a shooting on Larkin Street –– located just blocks away from the station. The victim was Cooley's 20-year-old son, Charles Stewart, Jr. who was dead from a gunshot wound to the head.
"As we get out, I look and I was like, 'This is my son, this is my son,'" Cooley said. "So I literally go into a breakdown, you know? Like why? Who would do this to my son?"
As of Tuesday (January 4), it's unclear what may have led to the shooting or if any arrests have been made.
"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," she said.
Charles Stewart, the victim's father, described his son as a good person who didn't have trouble with anyone.
"It's traumatizing for the whole family. We're just trying to cope day to day," he said. "Just trying to figure out why this happened and who could have did this."
Police Chief Darian Murray confirmed the tragedy to WLBT and noted that the investigation into the 20-year-old's death will be handed over to the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation because the victim is an officer's family member.
Reading about Black trauma can have an impact on your mental health. If you or someone you know need immediate mental health help, text "STRENGTH" to the Crisis Text Line at 741-741 to be connected to a certified crisis counselor. These additional resources are also available:
The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline 1-800-273-8255
The National Alliance on Mental Illness 1-800-950-6264
The Association of Black Psychologists 1-301-449-3082
The Anxiety and Depression Association of America 1-240-485-1001
For more mental health resources, click HERE.
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