Questions still surround the tragic death of former mayoral candidate Mariner Durant.
“At this point the investigation has been turned over to the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation. We did a preliminary report based on what we found,” said Meridian Police Chief Benny Dubose.
Durant, 23 years old, was running as a Libertarian in the race. He dropped out in early May saying it was due to “safety reasons.”
Yesterday evening, a day before election, he was found dead behind his home with a gunshot wound to the head. Authorities believe the incident occurred around 2 a.m. yesterday morning. His death is currently being ruled as a suicide.
“Due to comments made by the victim a month ago, we felt it would be in the best interest of everyone if we turned this case over to an outside agency to make sure the family was comfortable with the individuals investigating the case,” said Dubose.
Police said Durant made comments that he was being threatened by law enforcement to drop out of the race.
“We actually didn’t investigate the police department. There was no one in our agency that had talked with Mr. Durant as far as we know, the same with the sheriff’s department. Why he made those comments, I don’t know,” said Dubose.
So far, law enforcement has uncovered what appears to be bomb materials and perhaps a suicide note at Durant’s home.
We’ll keep you updated on new developments as the investigation continues.
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