In the early morning hours in Gulfport, Mississippi, a dispute between two men escalated to a fatal conclusion, leaving one man dead and another facing a murder charge. The life of Charles Martel Oatis, a 40-year-old male, was cut short by a single gunshot wound on a Monday in May of 2024. The incident unfolded around 1:20 a.m. at an InTown Suites on Highway 49, a setting that would become a scene of violence and its aftermath.
An argument between Oatis and another individual, later identified as Antwon Duane Williams, preceded the deadly encounter.
Following the heated exchange, Williams is alleged to have produced a firearm and shot Oatis. Despite his grave injury, Oatis managed to seek help, making his way to the hotel manager's apartment before he collapsed and succumbed to his wound. When police arrived at the scene, they discovered Oatis deceased. In the immediate wake of the shooting, Williams fled, prompting a search by law enforcement who considered him to be armed and dangerous. An active warrant for murder was issued for his arrest.
The search for Antwon Duane Williams, 32 years of age, concluded two days later when authorities located and apprehended him. He was subsequently charged with first-degree murder in the death of Charles Martel Oatis. During a preliminary hearing, conflicting narratives of the moments leading up to the shooting emerged. Williams claimed that he acted in self-defense, alleging that Oatis had lunged at him. However, witnesses to the event provided a different account to investigators, stating that Williams shot Oatis as soon as he entered the hotel room. A judge determined there was sufficient evidence to forward the case to a grand jury for a potential indictment. Williams is currently being held at the Harrison County jail on a $1 million bond.
