Gulfport man sentenced to 15 mandatory years for shooting at former co-worker

District Attorney Joel Smith announced today that Johnnie Fulton Sr., age 56, of Gulfport pled guilty to aggravated assault late yesterday afternoon.

The defendant’s jury trial was set to begin Wednesday morning. However, after the Court heard motions on Tuesday, the defendant changed his mind and elected to enter a guilty plea. Judge Christopher Schmidt presided over the case and sentenced the defendant to 15 years to serve without parole in the custody of the Mississippi Department of Corrections.

The defendant was initially arrested after he shot at an employee of Warren Paving in Gulfport on July 13, 2018. The investigation by the Gulfport Police Department revealed that the defendant had been terminated from the business the day before the shooting on July 12, 2018. After he was fired, the defendant went and found a handgun that evening. The following morning, he returned to the business before it opened and waited for employees to arrive at work. At approximately 5:45 a.m., as the victim opened the gates to the business, the defendant confronted him and pulled out a handgun. “The victim immediately began to run for safety. The defendant got out of his car, chased the victim and fired a shot at him which missed and struck the building where the victim was seeking refuge,” said ADA Matthew Burrell, who prosecuted the case.

After the police arrived on scene and began their investigation, they located the bullet hole in a window, which was in the same path the defendant was chasing the victim. Investigators also located an eyewitness who saw part of the shooting, as well as video surveillance from the business which captured parts of the crime. Investigators also obtained phone records in the days following the shooting where the defendant admitted he was full of anger, frustration, and vengeance at the time of the shooting, and that he deserved to be punished because he could have hurt someone.

The defendant was prosecuted under the habitual offender statute. It was determined the defendant had at least 5 prior felony convictions from Pennsylvania or Louisiana. The defendant will not be eligible for parole or early release during his incarceration.

“Although no one was injured, this defendant’s actions risked the lives of men who were simply trying to go to work and do their jobs. His choices that day and his historical pattern of criminal behavior warrant the punishment imposed by Judge Schmidt,” said District Attorney Smith.