AG Lynn Fitch refused to retry the Capitol Police officer who killed Jaylen Lewis
In September 2022 plainclothes Mississippi Capitol Police officers in unmarked cars fatally shot Jaylen Lewis, 25, during a traffic stop in Jackson. At a September 2026 manslaughter trial, a jury acquitted former officer Steven Frederick Jr. and deadlocked on former officer Michael Rhinewalt, who fired the fatal shot. Attorney General Lynn Fitch's office then said it would not retry him, stating that in a tie the benefit of the doubt goes to law enforcement. On Oct. 21, 2026, Hinds County Circuit Judge Faye Peterson refused to let the office permanently drop the case, saying it showed bias toward law enforcement and gave no substantive basis such as conflicting evidence. The office then asked for a temporary dismissal, which was pending. Rhinewalt also faces an aggravated assault charge in a separate 2022 shooting. Lewis's family has a wrongful death suit pending.
In the case of a tie, the benefit of the doubt goes to our law enforcement officers.
Peterson criticized the attorney general's reasoning, stating that Fitch's office failed to give a substantive basis to 'abandon' its oath and duty to keep prosecuting the case, such as 'conflicting evidence.'
Said it followed the process and that in the case of a tie, the benefit of the doubt goes to law enforcement officers.
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