Officer Is Recovering After Being Shot Multiple Times

COFFEEVILLE– A Coffeeville police officer is recovering at the Regional Medical Center in Memphis after he was shot four times last night.
    Amazingly, officer Kurt Savage was able to return fire, delivering a fatal shot to David Long to stop the barrage of gunfire–protecting himself and the female occupant of the residence who initially called authorities about a domestic disturbance.   
    “Savage did what he was supposed to do, he fell back on his training and did a good job,” Humphreys said about the incident.
    Savage was also able to contact the dispatcher for help, which came from all across the county within minutes.
    Coffeeville police officer Larry Tritt and deputy Thomas West were first to arrive at the residence  at 210 Rayburn Street, closely followed by Chief Deputy Jerry Ferguson.
    “He was alert and talking when I arrived on the scene,” Chief Deputy Jerry Ferguson reported.
    Humphreys said he immediately requested two medical helicopters and plenty of law enforcement as they worked crowd control and investigated the scene.
    The Wings helicopter arrived first from Oxford, landing at the football field in Coffeeville and transporting Savage to the Memphis trauma center.
    “It seemed like a long time to get him stabilized for the ride, but it probably wasn’t that long,” Ferguson said. “He was hurting and did not want us to move him.”
    The second helicopter, Air Evac from Batesville was waved off after Long expired. Paramedics from both of the hospital’s ambulance crews were also on the scene and unable to revive Long.
    He was pronounced dead on the scene by Yalobusha County Coroner Ronnie Stark.
    Humphreys said five officers from the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation (MBI), worked the scene, assisting his department and the Coffeeville Police Department.
    “We call MBI anytime you have an officer-involved shooting,” he explained. Several troopers also responded to work crowd control as the night wore on.
     Members of MBI’s Crime Scene Unit have processed the crime scene and submitted evidence to the State Crime Laboratory for forensic testing, according to a press release from the agency.
    Humphreys said that work continued until after 4 a.m. Monday morning.
    “We were there all night gathering evidence, talking to witnesses,” Humphreys said.
    

    The MBI press release reported the 911 call reporting domestic violence came in around 9 p.m.
    The caller also reported gun shots had been fired and Savage responded to Long’s residence where the female caller may have been barricaded inside.
    Initially Savage was able to secure the scene and did not request backup. He left with the victim to make a report at the police department, according to Humphreys.
    Around an hour later Savage returned with the victim to retrieve personal items and her automobile and leave the residence permanently, according to the sheriff.
    It was during the second trip that Long started firing.
    “Long, who was in a wheel chair and outside the home, pulled a handgun and began firing at the officer. The officer returned fire killing Long,” the MBI press release stated.
    Word traveled fast throughout the night as fellow officers, friends and family members expressed concern using social media.
    The Memphis news media also picked up on the story during the night, talking to family members and officers who arrived at the Med.
    Savage’s wife told Action News Five in Memphis that he had undergone surgery and is in the intensive care unit.