In the early evening of July 15, 2019, a burst of violence at a gas station in Gautier, Mississippi, cut short the life of 38-year-old Courtney Jontrell Todd. A resident of nearby Moss Point, Todd, known affectionately as 'Woody' to his friends and family, was a Black / African American male with a passion for fishing, traveling, and working on cars. He was a familiar and beloved face in his community, making the suddenness of his death all the more shocking to those who knew him.
The events that led to Todd's death unfolded in the parking lot of the Pure Gas Station on Ladnier Road. An altercation between Todd and a man named Jamyrian Wayne Quinn quickly escalated. Surveillance footage from the gas station's cameras captured the fatal encounter. The video showed Todd and another individual, Nicholas Curtis, interacting when Quinn, who was observing nearby, became involved. The situation intensified, culminating in Todd crouching on his knees with his hands raised. At that point, Quinn stood over Todd, punched him, and then fired a gun, striking Todd in the neck. The gunshot wound proved to be fatal, and Courtney Todd died at the scene.
The Gautier Police Department launched an investigation into the shooting, treating it as a homicide. Their investigation quickly led them to two suspects. Jamyrian Wayne Quinn, then 23 years old, was identified as the shooter and a warrant was issued for his arrest on a charge of murder. Another man, 25-year-old Parish Ladaven Raper of Gautier, was also arrested and charged with being an accessory after the fact to murder.
Jamyrian Quinn was ultimately apprehended and stood trial for the first-degree murder of Courtney Todd. During the trial, prosecutors presented the surveillance footage and witness testimony, with one witness claiming to have heard Quinn say, 'I'll kill you I'll kill you I'll kill you' moments before the fatal shot. The defense argued that the shooting was accidental and in self-defense, with Quinn testifying that Todd had threatened him earlier that day. Quinn claimed he only intended to fire warning shots and did not mean to kill Todd. After hearing the evidence, the jury found Jamyrian Quinn guilty of second-degree murder. The trial court subsequently sentenced him to serve forty years in the custody of the Mississippi Department of Corrections, without the possibility of parole.
