Mississippi gets delay in lawsuit over officer's death

Mississippi will get an extra 30 days to respond to a lawsuit filed by the widow of a state Gaming Commission officer accidentally shot to death during a training exercise in Tunica last year.

Magistrate Jane M Virden  granted the request from lawyers for the state to extend the response deadline until Nov. 7. The state's original deadline was Oct. 6.

In its request for an extension, attorneys for state Attorney General Jim Hood's office said the delay was needed because of prior obligations and time constraints. Attorneys for the plaintiff agreed to the extension, according to the state's request.

Summer Gorman, the widow of John Gorman, sued the state over Gorman's death in January 2015. Gorman, 45, had just been promoted to director of investigations for the Gaming Commission shortly before attending a required firearms training course in Tunica.

During the exercise, on Jan. 21, 2015, Gorman received a fatal gunshot wound to the chest and died at the Gaming Commission office in Robinsonville near Tunica. Gorman was shot by instructor Robert Sharp,  according to the lawsuit, after Sharp failed to replace his firearm with a dummy.

Summer Gorman is seeking unspecified damages to be determined by a jury.

The Gaming Commission regulates activity at Mississippi casinos and other charitable gaming such as bingo.