For now, Bay Saint Louis residents like Sam Moore say they’ll always remember former Chief Mike DeNardo fondly.
Advertisement
Hancock County Coroner Jim Faulk confirmed the chief died at a local hospital.
Jeff Harding, who was at the Bay St. Louis Police Department at the time of the shooting, says he’s known Denardo for 11 years.
Bass says the shooting appeared to be intentional.
“Our initial finding is a self-inflicted gunshot”, he said. He did not have information on who found DeNardo and reported the shooting.
The mayor of Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, says the city’s police chief had just been suspended when he shot himself to death in the police department’s parking lot. Specifics about the suspension weren’t available.
Myrna Green, the head of the Hancock County Tourism Bureau, said the entire community is in shock.
“He was just a tremendous public servant, and he’s going to be greatly missed”, Fillingame said.
DeNardo was being escorted from the police department at the request of the mayor, Adam said.
The Hancock County Sheriff’s Office continues to be the lead agency on the case, he said.
“He was a friend of mine, and he’d help me any way he could, ever since I was sheriff”, Adam said.
Advertisement
According to the police department’s website, DeNardo had been with the department since 2004 and the mayor appointed him police chief in 2010. Bay St. Louis’ use of $300,000 in federal money had drawn scrutiny from the Justice Department and the state auditor’s office, the newspaper said.
