The suspect referenced in today’s Eagle Alert is now in custody following a search near Lexington Drive, west of the Hattiesburg campus. The University Police Department (UPD) had been assisting Hattiesburg Police and other agencies in pursuit of Victor Kirksey, who was armed and believed to have shot a Hattiesburg Police officer earlier today.

The officer was treated at a local hospital and later released. While UPD indicated that there was no threat to the campus community, the proximity of the incident to the Hattiesburg campus prompted the Eagle Alert.