Funeral arrangements have been set for Josie Wells, an alumnus and deputy U.S. marshal who was shot and killed in the line of duty on Tuesday.
Visitation is from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. Monday, March 16, at Wade Baptist Church, 20623 Highway 63, Moss Point, Miss. The funeral is set for 11 a.m. Tuesday at the church.
Internment is at Davis Chapel Cemetery in Three Rivers, Miss.
Condolences may be sent to Millender’s Funeral Home, 4412 Main St., Moss Point, Miss. 39564
Wells, 27, of Jackson, was killed around 11 a.m. Tuesday while serving a warrant in Baton Rouge, La., authorities said. Wells was pronounced dead at a Baton Rouge hospital.
He graduated from JSU with a degree in criminal justice in 2011, according to the Alumni Affairs office.
“The Jackson State University family is saddened to learn about the tragic and untimely death of Josie Wells in the performance of his duty. We extend our heartfelt sympathy and prayers to his family and his friends. To his comrades in law enforcement, we offer our condolences and our gratitude for the service they provide to our nation,” said President Carolyn W. Meyers.
Wells joined the U.S. Marshal Service in 2011. An agent with the U.S. Marshal Fugitive Task Force, he lived in Mississippi but was in Baton Rouge on a temporary assignment.
Wells graduated from East Central High School in Hurley, Miss.
Wells was expecting his first child: a boy, his wife learned the day after his death, according to The Associated Press.
Channing Wells said Wednesday that the baby will be named Josie Wells Jr., after his father.
Channing Wells said the couple had been married nearly three years but had been together since both were 19 and going into their sophomore years at Jackson State University.
“He was a tremendous student,” East Central Principal James Hughey told WLOX-TV. “He was very well liked.”
State Rep. Manly Barton of Moss Point said Wells’ father, Obie Wells Sr., is a retired Jackson County sheriff’s deputy. His brother, Obie Wells Jr., is an officer with the Jackson Police Department.
“His dad was so proud of him for being a U.S. marshal,” Barton said.