Gulfport man gets 50 years for manslaughter and drive-by shooting
A Gulfport man pled guilty to a manslaughter case from Stone County and a drive-by shooting from Gulfport.
21-year-old Jermaine Mayers was sentenced to a total of 50 years with ten years suspended, leaving 40 years to serve in the custody of the Mississippi Department of Corrections.
The manslaughter plea stemmed from the shooting death of 19-year-old Jacoby Bolton. On November 16th, 2021, the Wiggins Police Department responded to Hope Avenue. When police arrived, they found Bolton deceased in the roadway suffering from three gunshot wounds.
The Wiggins Police Department was able to determine that Mayers was present and possessed a gun around the time of the shooting. Investigators then interviewed Mayers, who was in custody in Harrison County at the time, where he admitted to shooting Bolton, telling investigators he thought Bolton had a gun.
Mayers also entered a guilty plea to a drive-by shooting that happened in April 2021 in Gulfport. Gulfport Police responded to 19 ½ Street and Thorton Avenue to a shooting where they found three victims, two had been shot in the thigh and one shot in the arm.
Victims and witnesses told police that two females had traveled to the area in a black sedan and then an unknown male began shooting from the vehicle. “Approximately two hours after the shooting occurred, the two females voluntarily traveled to the Gulfport Police Department and were interview by Detectives. Both females advised Detectives that the defendant was the person who shot the victims. One of the females advised the defendant was upset over a fight that occurred earlier in the day”, said Assistant District Attorney Matthew D. Burrell, who prosecuted the cases on behalf of the State of Mississippi.
After accepting the plea, Judge Lisa Dodson sentenced Mayers to the maximum 20 years on the manslaughter and maximum 30 years on the drive-by shooting, ten years suspended, leaving 20 years to serve. Those sentences were ordered to run consecutive for a total of 50 years, 10 suspended, 40 years to serve.
After his release, Mayers will be placed on five years of reporting post-release supervision.
