JACKSON COUNTY, Miss. (CBS12) — A Florida man previously accused of violently attacking a Monroe County sheriff’s deputy was shot and killed by law enforcement in Mississippi after authorities said he tried to ignite propane tanks near government buildings in Pascagoula.
Mississippi investigators said the incident happened Thursday near Magnolia Street, close to the Jackson County Emergency Management Agency building and courthouse. Authorities said the man drove through a fence, parked near a large propane tank and then tried to ignite multiple propane tanks in the back of his truck in an apparent attempt to cause an explosion.
Investigators said the suspect ran when deputies arrived, leading to a brief pursuit and an exchange of gunfire. He was fatally shot. No officers or deputies were reported to have suffered serious injuries. The Mississippi Bureau of Investigation said the FBI and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives are also involved in the case.
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Nearby government buildings were locked down, and Resurrection Catholic School was also placed on lockdown as a precaution, according to Mississippi reports.
David Ray Wyrick was charged with attempted manslaughter and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon stemming from a confrontation with law enforcement in 2025 that left a Monroe County Sheriff’s Deputy injured. (MCSO)
The suspect, David Ray Wyrick, 58, of Key Largo, was arrested after a violent confrontation with Monroe County deputies in late February 2025. In that case, deputies said Wyrick was placing boulders in the roadway and tampering with fire hydrants on County Road 905 when Sgt. Robert Dosh and other deputies responded.
According to the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office, Wyrick brandished a pocketknife, resisted arrest and struck Dosh in the face with a metal pipe that had a nail attached. Deputies said he also tried to grab Dosh’s service weapon and the firearm of another deputy during the struggle. Dosh was taken first to Mariners Hospital in Tavernier and later transferred to Kendall Medical Center in Miami because of an eye injury.
Wyrick was jailed on multiple charges in Monroe County, including attempted manslaughter, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, aggravated battery on a law enforcement officer, battery on a law enforcement officer, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and resisting arrest with violence.