In the final moments of 2021, a New Year's Eve party in Gulfport, Mississippi, descended into chaos and violence, leaving 52-year-old Nathaniel Harris and three other men dead. The gathering, which took place on Lewis Avenue, had drawn a large crowd, and as the night wore on, tensions escalated between two groups of young people who had arrived. Just before midnight on December 31, 2021, a fistfight broke out between Aubrey Lewis, 22, and Corey Dubose, 23.
The altercation quickly
spiraled out of control. As the two men fought, they fell against a car belonging to 28-year-old Sedrick McCord. In an attempt to break up the fight, McCord stepped out of his vehicle and fired a single warning shot into the air. This act, however, failed to quell the escalating violence. Instead, Lewis and Dubose both drew firearms and shot each other, resulting in both of their deaths at the scene. In the immediate aftermath, another individual, Isavian Preston, shot and killed McCord.
Following these initial shootings, several other individuals began firing indiscriminately into the terrified crowd of over 100 people. When the barrage of more than 100 bullets finally ceased, Nathaniel Harris was found deceased in the street. He, along with the other victims, had succumbed to multiple gunshot wounds. Harris was initially hospitalized but died from his injuries on the evening of Sunday, January 2, 2022. Three other individuals were also wounded in the mass shooting but survived.
The subsequent investigation by the Gulfport Police Department was initially hampered by a lack of cooperation from witnesses. However, authorities eventually identified and arrested multiple suspects involved in the deadly shootout. In the ensuing legal proceedings, several of the accused reached plea agreements. Isavian Preston pleaded guilty to manslaughter for the death of Sedrick McCord and was sentenced to 30 years in prison. Latavion Bland and Vincent Armstrong, who admitted to recklessly firing into the crowd, pleaded guilty to mayhem. Bland received a five-year prison sentence, while Armstrong was sentenced to a total of 25 years, with 20 suspended. Mario Clark, who admitted to lying to the police to protect his brother, Vincent Armstrong, pleaded guilty to hindering prosecution and received a suspended sentence. Another man, Khalid Williams, pleaded guilty to unlawful possession of a weapon by a convicted felon and was sentenced to 12 years in prison.
