Man pleads guilty to assault of a Gulfport police office

GULFPORT, Miss. (WXXV)- A Petal man will spend the next two decades behind bars after pleading guilty to assaulting a Gulfport police officer in 2023.

Twenty-four-year-old Corwin Joshua Wilcher pled guilty this week to felony assault on a police officer and felon in possession of a firearm charges.

As a result, Wilcher will not be eligible for parole or early release. The case stems from a May 2023 officer-involved shooting on Hewes Avenue in Gulfport.

Wilcher was stopped after officers observed reckless driving and traffic violations.

During the stop, officers saw a handgun magazine inside the vehicle and then a firearm. Wilcher then aimed the gun at an officer prompting police to fire in self-defense.

He was also on felony supervision in Forrest County at the time of the shooting.