Two Capitol Police Officers Indicted for Excessive Force

JACKSON, Miss. – A Hinds County Grand Jury indicted a former Capitol police officer and a current Capitol police officer on two counts each of aggravated assault.

Attorney General Lynn Fitch (R-Miss.) announced that Jeffrey Walker and Michael Rhinewalt were indicted on December 17, 2024.

The two were accused of using excessive force after a traffic stop on August 14, 2022, in Jackson.

In 2023, Attorney Carlos Moore said Sherita Harris was in a vehicle that was stopped for running a red light. Soon afterwards, a chase ensued, and Harris suffered a gunshot wound to the head. According to Moore’s investigation, he believes Rhinewalt shot Harris in the head.

“This trained officer shot into a moving vehicle near I-55 over near Fortification Street. Shot into a moving vehicle. Could clearly see who was in the vehicle, but there was more than one person. And yet, shot haphazardly into the vehicle, and shot an innocent person out over somebody fleeing a misdemeanor,” Moore stated.

The shooting was investigated by the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation (MBI) and is being prosecuted by the Attorney General’s Office.

Bailey Martin, press secretary for the Mississippi Department of Public Safety (MDPS), said Rhinewalt has been placed on administrative leave without pay. According to Martin, Walker has not been employed by the MDPS since July 2023.