Gulfport man sentenced for shooting at a Bay St. Louis Bar

District Attorney Joel Smith announced today that 24-year old Trey Hugh Tillery of Gulfport, MS was sentenced this week for two counts of Aggravated Assault before Circuit Judge Christopher Schmidt at the Hancock County Courthouse. Tillery previously entered his plea of guilty on the two charges in February of this year. A presentence investigation was conducted by the Mississippi Department of Corrections at that time and provided to the judge prior to the sentencing hearing this week.

“Tillery had previously undergone a court-ordered psychiatric examination at the request of his attorneys. Once the evaluation was complete and a report provided to the court, Judge Schmidt found the defendant competent to proceed with his case,” said ADA Chris Daniel, who prosecuted the case. On Monday, Judge Schmidt sentenced him to 40 years, and suspended 24 of those, with 16 years to serve in prison, followed by 10 years of post-release supervision. “Judge Schmidt also ordered the defendant to pay $101,400.87 in restitution for medical injuries to the victim and damages to the business,” said Daniel.

The initial investigation into the crime began at approximately 1:30 a.m. on December 21, 2014, when Bay St. Louis Police officers responded to a shooting at Bouy’s Bar on Beach Boulevard. Officers arrived and located the defendant, who had been apprehended and disarmed by the bar owner and an employee on Court Street. Witnesses stated that during the shooting, the defendant was standing on the entrance ramp and fired two shots from a .40 caliber Glock handgun into the leg and foot of the first victim who was standing on the front deck of the bar with his fiancé and friends. The defendant fired additional shots as he fled from the bar and then attempted to shoot at an employee as he was being apprehended. The gunshot victim was transported by AMR to Memorial Hospital where he was treated for his wounds.

During the sentencing hearing, Tillery apologized to the victims and stated “I am very sorry. I acted out of immaturity and fear. I wish I could change it. I am very sorry I was even there in the first place.” Prior to handing down the sentence, Judge Schmidt stated, “Mr. Treadway suffered a gunshot wound, a painful recovery and a lifelong injury. One bad decision often has lifelong consequences, especially for Mr. Treadway.”