Eddie James Stewart

On July 9, 1966, Eddie James Stewart, a 22-year-old African-American cabinet maker, was shot and killed by Hinds County Sheriff’s Department (HCSD) Deputy John Grant inside Stewart’s home in Crystal Springs, Mississippi. According to Grant, he shot Stewart when Stewart lunged at him, trying to grab Grant’s service pistol; Grant struggled to hold onto the gun and fired it. A local Coroner’s Inquest was held on July 9, 1966, and resulted in a verdict of justifiable homicide because the victim was “resisting arrest after firing at officers.”