On the evening of January 25, 2018, Leland Sumrall, a 61-year-old male shipyard worker, was tragically killed in Pascagoula, Mississippi. He was riding his motorcycle home from his job at Ingalls Ship Building when he became the unintended victim of a violent road rage incident. The events that led to his death began earlier that evening at a bar, where 29-year-old Luis Soto Jr.
of Gautier, had an argument with two active-duty military service members.
Following the altercation, an angered Soto pursued the service members as they drove away from the bar. He fired shots at their vehicle, injuring them. In his attempt to flee the scene, Soto drove the wrong way on U.S. 90. It was at this point that he encountered Leland Sumrall, who was completely uninvolved in the prior dispute. Soto fired multiple shots at Sumrall, which caused him to crash his motorcycle. Emergency services rushed Sumrall to a local hospital, but he ultimately succumbed to his injuries.
Law enforcement initially investigated the shooting as a case of road rage. Their investigation quickly led them to Luis Soto Jr., who was arrested in connection with the incident. He was subsequently charged with second-degree murder for the death of Leland Sumrall, as well as two counts of aggravated assault and one count of shooting into a motor vehicle related to the initial confrontation. In February 2020, Soto pleaded guilty to the charges against him and was sentenced to 40 years in prison.
