On the night of February 17, 2019, tragedy struck in Gulfport, Mississippi, when local authorities were alerted to a violent incident near a medical facility. Around 9:34 p.m., the Gulfport Police Department received reports of gunfire echoing through the neighborhood surrounding Memorial Hospital. Officers rushed to the scene, specifically focusing their search on the area of 43rd Avenue and 11th Street, where the shots had been heard.
Upon arriving at the location, first responders
discovered a male victim lying on the side of 43rd Avenue who had sustained a fatal gunshot wound. The victim was identified as 31-year-old Demeatrius Blakley, a Black / African American resident of Gulfport. Despite the immediate police response to the reports of shooting, Blakley had succumbed to his injuries at the scene. Harrison County Coroner Gary Hargrove officially confirmed the identity of the victim and ruled the death a homicide, marking the beginning of a criminal investigation into the circumstances ending his life.
In the wake of the shooting, detectives began working to piece together the events that led to the killing, but information regarding potential perpetrators proved scarce. At the time of the initial investigation, law enforcement officials stated that they had not identified any suspects and no arrests had been made in connection with the crime. The police urged members of the community to come forward with any information that could assist in solving the case, utilizing platforms like Mississippi Coast Crimestoppers to gather anonymous tips from the public.
