hattiesburg police
Policemen hold their hats at their side during a vigil service for two fellow officers killed during a traffic stop, in Hattiesburg, Mississippi May 11, 2015. The vigil drew law enforcement officers from across the state, while the man and woman accused in the deaths over the weekend were due in court on murder charges. Reuters/Lee Celano

A fifth suspect in the fatal shootings of two Mississippi police officers, Benjamin Deen and Liquori Tate, was arrested Wednesday, according to reports. Abram W. Franklin, 29, of Hattiesburg was reportedly charged with obstruction of justice and is being held in the Forrest County Jail.

The two officers were shot on Saturday during a routine traffic stop following which they were taken to a local hospital where they were pronounced dead. Of the five people arrested in the case, only one -- Marvin Banks, 29 -- was accused of shooting the officers, and charged with two counts of capital murder.

His brother, 26-year-old Curtis, and Joanie Calloway, 22, were charged with accessory after the fact to capital murder. Cornelius Clark was also charged with obstruction of justice. At least one of the suspects had reportedly fled in a stolen police vehicle, which was later found abandoned.

The Mississippi Bureau of Investigation (MBI) released autopsy results for Deen, 34, and Tate, 25, on Monday, stating that one of the officers was shot in the face and the other in the back. Authorities have reportedly declined to comment on a possible motive in the case.

"There are theories, but we'll wait on the forensics to come back," MBI spokesman Warren Strain told reporters this week. The last time a Hattiesburg police officer was killed while on duty was in 1984 when Jackie Dole Sherrill was shot on New Year's Eve.

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