On July 6, 2017, a violent confrontation in Gulfport, Mississippi, claimed the life of 34-year-old Arthur Etheridge, a Black male resident of the area. The incident unfolded in the early morning hours in the parking lot of the O'Neal Road Apartments, a location where neither the victim nor the suspect resided. Etheridge was seated in the passenger seat of a vehicle when he was approached by a man allegedly upset over a personal dispute involving a romantic relationship.
Investigators
determined that the shooting was sparked by an allegation of infidelity. According to court testimony presented by the Harrison County prosecuting attorney, Etheridge had previously told a woman that her boyfriend was "running around on her." This revelation reportedly angered the boyfriend, identified as 44-year-old Marcus Reginald "Reggie" Hosey. In the days leading up to the shooting, Hosey had allegedly confronted his girlfriend via video chat, brandishing a distinct Russian-made pistol and making threats regarding the cheating accusations.
Witnesses and prosecutors detailed a chilling sequence of events at the apartment complex. Hosey reportedly walked up to the passenger side of the car where Etheridge was sitting and placed a gun behind the victim's right ear. Before firing, Hosey allegedly told Etheridge, "You know you did it," and began pushing him with the weapon. Despite a witness attempting to intervene, Hosey fired the weapon. The driver of the vehicle, who had initially exited to run but returned after hearing shots, drove the wounded Etheridge to Garden Park Medical Center. Although the driver honked the horn for help upon arrival, Etheridge was pronounced dead at the hospital from a gunshot wound.
Police responded to the scene and recovered crucial evidence, including a 7.62x25mm shell casing, a type of ammunition consistent with a Russian Tokarev semi-automatic pistol—the same type of firearm Hosey had allegedly displayed during the earlier video chat. Hosey fled the scene immediately after the shooting but was located and arrested by Gulfport police later that same day in the 500 block of Pass Road. He was unarmed at the time of his capture.
Marcus Reginald Hosey was subsequently charged with first-degree murder. During a preliminary hearing, a judge found sufficient probable cause to bind the case over to a grand jury for indictment. The judge maintained Hosey's bond at $1 million, noting his prior criminal history, which included convictions for burglary, carjacking, and aggravated assault in Florida, as well as a drug-related conviction in Mississippi. While defense attorneys suggested the gun may have discharged accidentally, prosecutors argued the act was intentional, driven by the dispute over the infidelity allegations.
