Gulfport man shot after meeting Facebook contact

Last week, a 25-year-old Gulfport man planned to meet up with a woman he met on social media, but instead was shot twice in the stomach. Three people have been arrested and face armed robbery and aggravated assault charges in relation to the incident.

“The doctor was like, well Miss Malone, your son has been shot. When he said shot, it was like a ton of bricks hit me from the top of my head to the bottom of my feet.”

An early Tuesday morning online for Tony Williams turned tragic after a woman set him up for what turned into an armed robbery. “She was like ‘what you doin?’ You know I was chillin’ and she said you want to come through and chill for a minute? and I was like yeah.”

Williams says he had been talking to the girl through Facebook for about a week before he decided to meet her at about 2 a.m. at the William Bell Apartment Complex in Gulfport. Once he met her, they went for a walk, but shortly after two men came around the corner and assaulted him. “They were like ‘we got you, give it up.’ and I stood there for a minute because I thought they were playing, probably like a second, but then in that second he shot.”

Once Williams hit the ground, the men took his belongings and took off. He says he then got back up, got inside his car, and drove himself to Memorial Hospital where he was treated for his injuries. “I was taking really deep breaths and remaining conscious, you know, not letting my mind get too worried.”

Williams tells News 25 that the horrible situation he faced has raised his guard and taught him to be more aware of the social media dangers. “I just have to be much more cautious because at first just kind of looked at myself I don’t have a lot on, but there may be somebody who may look at you like you have a lot.”

According to Williams the men that shot him are familiar faces, he had seen the duo before at the recording studio he regularly visits. “I hate what they did to my son, it was wrong and they have to be punished for it, but I forgive them,” said Malone.