Video: Deputies Recover Arsenal From Nettleton Home Following Standoff

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NETTLETON, Miss. (WCBI) — A Lee County Sheriff’s Deputy is on paid administrative leave and the man he shot early Wednesday continues to recover.

While investigators try to learn more about the man, Lee County Sheriff Jim Johnson says a surprising discovery at the suspect’s home is cause for alarm.

The arsenal takes up virtually an entire conference room at the Lee County Sheriff’s Department. The guns were confiscated from this home at 1416 Maple Street in Nettleton, following a standoff this week.

At about 10:30 Tuesday night, Nettleton Police answered a report of a man firing a gun as he drove up and down the street. When officers arrived, 56-year-old Richard Rogers retreated inside his home. Lee County Sheriff’s deputies arrived and secured a perimeter to try to protect officers and bystanders.

At about 2:30 Wednesday morning, Sheriff Johnson says Rogers came onto his porch, ignored officers’ commands and fired a shot at officers.

“Our deputy had no other choice but to take the action he took. He fired at the individual, struck him in the abdomen area, which immediately took the individual down,” Johnson stated.

Rogers underwent surgery at North Mississippi Medical Center. Not much is known about Rogers, who apparently has had no run ins with local law enforcement.

Still, the AR-15 rifle, several shotguns, and a variety of handguns and ammunition found in his home is a concern to Sheriff Johnson.

“As you can see, he had access to a large quantity of arsenal that could have been a very dangerous situation that could have turned out a whole lot different,” he said.

Johnson says putting the deputy on leave is standard procedure while an outside agency reviews the facts. Johnson believes the deputy, whose identity is not being released, acted correctly.

“If this particular individual took deadly force against anyone, which he did, then the officer knew what his reaction was going to do, had a timely manner to choose exactly where on the target he was going to hit,” the sheriff said.

Johnson says the information will be turned over to the District Attorney’s office as early as next week. Rogers is expected to recover and will be charged with aggravated assault on a police officer.

The case will be turned over to the next Lee County Grand Jury.