Sergeant Michael David Stephen Sr., 56, a long-serving Stone County deputy and fire chief, was shot and killed while on duty on the morning of July 18, 2019. At about 9:00 am he was responding to a domestic disturbance on Flag Road and was speaking with a woman in the front yard when a man opened fire, striking both Sergeant Stephen and the woman. Responding deputies found the shooter deceased at the scene. Sergeant Stephen, a U.S. Army veteran who had served with the Stone County Sheriff’s Office for around 20 years and had been a volunteer firefighter since age sixteen, later died of his wounds. He is survived by his wife, four children, and his parents.

Were there witnesses in the neighborhood that morning who saw the encounter on Flag Road or who can shed light on what happened before deputies arrived?