Mississippi
Mississippi Highway Patrol deployed to Goodman after viral gun video, leaders explain goals
GOODMAN, Miss. — The Mississippi Department of Public Safety has deployed state troopers to the Town of Goodman indefinitely following a viral video showing people waving guns and mocking the absence of police in the town.
DPS Commissioner Sean Tindell and other department leaders flew into Goodman on Thursday to meet with town officials. Tindell said the video drew the attention of both himself and Gov. Tate Reeves.
“We felt like there needed to be a presence of law enforcement in Goodman to send a message,” Tindell said. “That it’s not a town or any town in Mississippi that we’re going to allow lawlessness to prevail.”
Troopers conducting stops, working alongside sheriff’s office
Since Wednesday, troopers have been stopping drivers in downtown Goodman and in neighborhoods. Tindell said the Mississippi Highway Patrol is working alongside the Holmes County Sheriff’s Office as part of the investigation.
“It’s more regular law enforcement duties at this point,” Tindell said. “You know, we’re looking at individuals in the video to ask who they were and go from there.”
Tindell said MHP deployments to towns across the state are not uncommon, and include safety checkpoints, driver’s license verifications and insurance verifications.
“So that’s not unusual anywhere on any given day,” Tindell said. “We just happen to be in Goodman because they needed additional help at that time.”
Mayor supports presence; some residents question it
Mayor Michael Howard said he supports MHP’s increased presence in the town. However, resident Keni El questioned whether the deployment was necessary.
“It really doesn’t change anything because if the people they’ve seen on the video are who they came for then that’s who they need to be looking for,” El said. “Because in a way, it’s kind of harassing the people for stupidity of some younglings.”
El said leaders should instead focus on providing resources to mentor young people.
“The youth need to be taught the right knowledge, right wisdom, right understanding,” El said. “But I’m not going to be afraid of no child.”
Tindell said he is unsure how long state troopers will remain in Goodman but will stay in contact with town officials until a departure date is determined.
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TUPELO, Miss. (WTVA) – The Tennessee Valley Authority made a $30,000 donation to Northeast Mississippi Habitat for Humanity.
The announcement of the donation came Tuesday.
Habitat said that the investment from the TVA will help the organization continue its work of building quality homes, strengthening neighborhoods, and creating opportunities for local families to achieve long-term stability through homeownership.
“We are incredibly grateful to TVA for this generous contribution and for their continued investment in our community,” said BJ Kent, the Executive Director of Northeast Mississippi Habitat for Humanity, in the news release. “Support like this allows us to move our mission forward and helps make affordable homeownership possible for more families in our area.”
“At TVA, we believe strong communities are built through partnerships that create lasting, meaningful opportunities,” said Amy Tate, the Chief of Governance Relations VP for TVA, in the news release. ”Northeast Mississippi Habitat for Humanity exemplifies this work by helping families achieve the dream of homeownership. We’re proud to support their mission and invest in efforts that strengthen the communities we serve.”
Kent said this gift from the TVA will have a lasting impact beyond the construction of a home.
Copyright 2026 WTVA. All rights reserved.
All hearings are free and open to the public. At each stop, the commission’s senior civilian will deliver a report on regional and national issues affecting USACE programs and projects along the Mississippi River and its tributaries. Community members and interested parties are encouraged to speak on water resources infrastructure needs throughout the valley, including the Mississippi River and Tributaries (MR&T) project and other water resources challenges.
Information gathered during the trip helps inform the commission’s recommendations on navigation, flood risk management, ecosystem restoration, and other water resources initiatives that support economic vitality and the environmental health of the Mississippi River valley.
The annual inspection trip allows the commission to observe river conditions firsthand while strengthening partnerships with communities, industry, and government agencies that help shape the future of the river system.
Since its establishment in 1879, the Mississippi River Commission has worked to develop recommendations that support safe, reliable navigation, reduce flood risks, and promote responsible management of the Mississippi River and its tributaries.
Contact the MRC administrative officer at 601-634-5768, or email contact-MRC@usace.army.mil for more information.
The hanging death of Tasia Fortune, whose body was found outside an abandoned house on Aug. 3, has shaken her family and community in Mississippi, where two other people have been found hanging from trees in less than a year. Police have not indicated whether they consider the 29-year-old Black woman’s death suspicious, the AP reports, saying only that they are actively working “to determine the circumstances surrounding the death.” A week after Fortune’s body was found, a pink-and-white memorial honoring her life stood as a bright spot Monday in the otherwise overgrown backyard of the abandoned house in Jackson.
Christy Spivey, Fortune’s mother, told ABC News on Sunday that she last saw her daughter on July 26. Fortune, a mother of four who had lived in Mississippi for more than 10 years, had traveled to Kentucky for a family reunion. She described her daughter as a loving mother who was not behaving out of the ordinary. “I know my daughter, and she did not do this to herself,” Spivey said. Jackson police have not identified any suspects or person of interest. Fortune’s death comes less than a year after the hanging deaths of 21-year-old Trey Reed, a Black student at Delta State University in Cleveland, and Cory Zukatis, an unhoused white man in his 30s, in Vicksburg. Police concluded Reed’s death was a suicide.
Spivey, Fortune’s mother, told ABC she “does not want her name associated with” the death possibly being racially motivated. Bernice King, daughter of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., cautioned people to “not rush to conclusions.” At the same time, Fortune’s death is triggering. “We also cannot dismiss the fear and painful history these circumstances evoke for Black communities, especially in Mississippi,” King said in a statement. “That history makes transparency, thoroughness, and truth essential.”
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