Mississippi Officer Dies of Heart Attack; Father also Died on Duty

A Mississippi officer who collapsed in the station last month while interviewing a suspect has died.

Carthage Police Cpl. Van Perry, 49, died Sept. 5 at University of Mississippi Medical Center where he had been since the Aug. 29 incident.

The shoplifting suspect yelled for officers when Perry suddenly collapsed during the interview, according to aurthorities.

Perry, a 15-year veteran with the department, is survived by his wife, daughter and two sons.

Officials noted that Perry's father, Chief Deputy Willie Perry, of the Leake County Sheriff's Office, was killed in the line of duty on July 29, 2001, when he was struck by a vehicle while conducting a roadside checkpoint
.