In the quiet town of Wiggins, Mississippi, the life of 25-year-old Martin Luther Atkinson Jr. was tragically cut short on the evening of June 26, 2019. The young man was fatally shot outside the Wiggins Apartments on McGregor Street in Stone County. Emergency services transported him to Forrest General Hospital in Hattiesburg, but his injuries proved too severe, and he was pronounced dead at 6:23 p.m.
The investigation into the death of the male victim moved swiftly, and within a day,
law enforcement officials had two persons of interest in custody. The Wiggins Police Department announced the arrests of two men in connection with the shooting. The suspects were identified as 19-year-old Gevontae Johnson of Gulfport and 22-year-old Jerome Bester of Wiggins. The arrests brought a sense of cautious relief to a community shaken by the violent loss of one of its own.
Following their arrests, both Johnson and Bester were charged in the death of Martin Luther Atkinson Jr. They each faced a charge of first-degree murder, signifying the gravity of the allegations against them. In addition to the murder charge, both men were also charged with shooting into a dwelling. This additional charge suggested a reckless disregard for the safety of others in the vicinity of the fatal altercation.
The legal process moved forward with both men being held in custody. A judge set a bond of $1 million for each of the accused, reflecting the serious nature of the crimes they were alleged to have committed. As the case prepared to move through the judicial system, the community waited for answers and the promise of justice for a life taken too soon.
