Throughout a Cinco de Mayo celebration at a restaurant in Ocean Springs, an incidence of gunfire resulted in seven people being shot and one fatality, as confirmed by Police Chief Mark Dunston.
The deceased particular person, recognized as Chase Harmon, a 19-year-old resident of Pascagoula, was formally recognized by Jackson County Deputy Coroner James Prisock.
In response to Ocean Springs Police Captain Ryan LeMaire, two out of the six injured people stay hospitalized. One is in secure however guarded situation inside the intensive care unit of Ocean Springs Hospital, whereas the opposite is in secure situation and beneath remark at a hospital in New Orleans.
The restaurant, referred to as The Scratch Kitchen on Authorities Road, was sectioned off with crime scene tape as legislation enforcement officers performed an examination of the world and gathered evidentiary supplies. Mayor Kenny Holloway additionally visited the scene. The again patio space, the place the incident happened, stays inaccessible because of the presence of yellow crime scene tape.
Moreover, the institution will stay closed because it continues to be handled as an energetic crime scene. Presently, no suspects have been apprehended, although the investigation has been ongoing for the reason that occasion occurred. People possessing info pertaining to the capturing had been inspired to contact the Ocean Springs Police Division.
Abranee Goldsmith, an eyewitness, shared her firsthand account of the tragic incident. Goldsmith recounted the sound of gunshots, taking instant cowl beneath a desk, and subsequently noticing the sufferer struggling to breathe. Reacting swiftly, she utilized a makeshift bandage and initiated CPR earlier than in search of help from legislation enforcement.
Demonstrating unwavering dedication, Goldsmith selected to stay on the scene even after the sufferer’s very important indicators ceased, expressing her dedication to have made each doable effort to help the person. Notably, she underscored the rarity of such occurrences inside the neighborhood of Ocean Springs.
Restaurant proprietor Brittany Alexander provided further particulars, stating that the presumed assailant is believed to have scaled a close-by wall. Alexander confirmed that the deceased particular person was a patron of the institution, whereas the shooter was not.
The restaurant’s patio space, which serves because the venue for the DJ’s efficiency, is proscribed to people aged 21 and above. Rigorous safety measures, together with frisking procedures, are applied for all entrants, and upon fee of the duvet cost, patrons are issued wristbands denoting their eligibility to eat alcoholic drinks. An estimated 200 people had been current on the Cinco de Mayo occasion when the capturing occurred.
The incident has prompted discourse on varied social media platforms, with members of the Ocean Springs neighborhood expressing shock and concern. This capturing incident follows a previous incidence within the restaurant’s parking zone, the place a 22-year-old male sustained an unintended gunshot wound to the leg.
Moreover, there have been latest incidents of shootings in numerous nightlife venues inside Ocean Springs, together with a deadly capturing outdoors the Kahuna-OS bar and a capturing incident outdoors the Ocean Springs Daiquiri Firm.