Charged with assault on law enforcement officer in Moss Point

Early Tuesday morning, just before 10 a.m., Moss Point officers responded to a report of a man with a gun in the area of Macphelah Road and Frederick Street.

Callers stated that the suspect was walking around firing a handgun into the air.

As the first officer arrived on the scene, he came under gunfire from the suspect. The officer’s patrol car was struck in the driver’s door. The officer quickly radioed other officers of the situation and turned his patrol car around to face the suspect.

The initial officer, in addition to the other responding officers, was able to issue commands to the suspect to drop his weapon and lay on the ground. The suspect complied with the commands and was taken into custody without further incident.

The suspect was later identified as Tony M. Howard, 36, of Moss Point. Howard had been recently released from prison after being sentenced to serve 20 years for the 2008 murder of Lorenzo Nettles.

Howard was convicted in 2009 of manslaughter in the 2008 shooting death of Lorenzo Nettles at a night club called Touch of Class in Moss Point. He was sentenced to 20 years.

While serving his sentence in Leakesville, Howard was burned in 2018. His mother said another inmate threw gasoline on Howard and set him on fire.

Howard is being charged with possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, shooting into a motor vehicle, and aggravated assault on a police officer.

He is being held in the Jackson County Adult Detention Center without bond.

If you have any information on this case, please contact Detective Vince Nye of the Moss Point Police Department at 228-475-1711 or you can give an anonymous tip to Crime Stoppers at 800-787-5898 or on their website.