Mississippi police officer dies after 1-vehicle crash

RALEIGH, Miss. (AP) – A police officer in a central Mississippi town has died following a one-car wreck.

Raleigh town attorney David Garner tells local media that Officer E.P. Morris died around noon Thursday.

The wreck took place on Mississippi 18 in the Smith County seat.

Garner says it appears Morris lost control of his vehicle, left the road and hit a tree and caught fire.

Morris was on duty at the time of the wreck. Garner says Morris has worked as a Raleigh officer for about two years, after working as an officer elsewhere.

Garner says Morris “had a sweet spirit of service about him” and calls his death “a loss for the entire community.”

The Mississippi Bureau of Investigation is leading the inquiry.

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