Gulfport Teen Pleads Guilty to Aggravated Assault

District Attorney Joel Smith announced today that Jabari Thompson, age 19, of Gulfport, pled guilty this week to Aggravated Assault in the Harrison County Courthouse. After accepting his plea, Circuit Court Judge Christopher Schmidt ordered a pre-sentence investigation and set the sentencing of Thompson for May 2 in Gulfport.

The case came to the attention of the Gulfport Police Department on October 11, 2014 after 911 calls reported a shooting complaint in the area of West George Street. Officers arrived on scene at approximately 10:30 p.m. to find an 18 year-old victim who was not able to move after suffering a gunshot wound to his back. The victim and his passenger were able to identify the Defendant, who was a prior acquaintance, as the shooter. They were also able to later pick him out of a photographic line-up.

At the plea hearing, the victim spoke to the court and stated that he was a visitor at the residence on the night in question. When the victim arrived, the defendant came up to his vehicle from behind, put a gun to his neck and stated “You know what this is”. When the victim attempted to leave, the defendant shot him in the upper back. The victim explained to the court that he is paralyzed from the chest down and will never walk again. The victim’s grandmother described the effect it has had on the victim and his family. She told the Court that she has had to stop working because she must provide care for the victim on a full-time basis. The case was prosecuted by ADA’s Crosby Parker and Christopher Carter.

For the crime of Aggravated Assault, Thompson faces a maximum punishment of up to 20 years in prison.

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