Gulfport PD Still Investigating Overnight Shooting; One Dead

Gulfport Police spent most of Wednesday morning searching for evidence after a late night shooting left a 19 year old dead and a 26 year old male hospitalized.

News 25 went to the scene and spoke to neighbors, who say this isn’t the first time they’ve witnessed a violent shooting. It was a chaotic scene last night as neighbors gathered near a crime scene close to their homes on George Street. In a nearby ditch was the body of Rashod Bryant, a 19 year old who lived nearby. Bryant died from a gunshot wound to the head.

Another man, an unidentified 26 year old, was also shot, but taken to a local hospital before police arrived on the scene. While investigators spent the morning gathering evidence at the scene of Tuesday night’s incident, Gulfport residents are waking up to the second shooting on this street in just about five months, leaving many residents so concerned for their safety they were afraid to go on camera for comment. One George Street resident says, "We just feel unsafe. I mean, we feel unsafe in our own neighborhood, but we’re not moving. We’ve been here 47 years and we’re going to stay here."

Instead of moving, some area residents tell News 25 they are taking steps to better protect themselves and their homes. The George Street resident also says, "We’ve been broken in three times and I have taken some precautions and I don’t really want to say what they are, but I’m much better protected now."

The recent increase in violent crime has some people asking if more could be done. They say they’re tired of seeing the police after the fact, not before it. The George Street resident closes, "It’s always been a bad neighborhood, but we need more patrols going on. That’s all I can think of that would help it."

If you have any information on this crime, please call Gulfport Police at (228) 868-5959 or contact Crime Stoppers at www.mscoastcrimestoppers.com.