GULFPORT, MISS. – Three people were killed and four others injured after several people at a party in Mississippi opened fire just minutes before the end of 2021, authorities said.
No arrests have been made in the shooting at a New Year’s party in Gulfport in part because investigators are piecing together a chaotic scene where more than 50 bullets were fired from a number of firearms. Also because the people who witnessed the shooting and some of the injured were not people. Do not speak to officers, Gulfport Police Chief Chris Ryle said.
“I understand their mentality. They don’t want to be seen in public. But we have a phone line that they are very willing to call,” Ryle said at a news conference on Saturday.
One person remains in critical condition and three others injured are expected to recover, according to police, who responded to the 911 call at 11:58 p.m. Friday.
Investigators are not sure what caused the jostling and kicking that quickly led to the shooting, the sheriff said.
“Guns, drugs, alcohol – that’s the recipe for disaster,” Ryle said.
Police don’t know how many people were at the outdoor party when the shooting began. Ryle says:
Even the people who were shot did not speak to investigators, the sheriff said.
“Someone out there last night saw something with so many people,” Ryle said at a press conference posted on Biloxi’s The Sun Herald website. “When an assault rifle comes out, someone knows who they are and we need them to come forward.”
The three dead have been identified as Corey Dubose, 23, of D’Iberville; Sedrick McCord, 28, of Gulfport; and Aubrey Lewis, 22, of Bay St. Louis, Harrison County Coroner Brian Switzer told news agencies.
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