Employee and customer killed, suspect charged with first-degree murder in Gulfport AT&T shooting
Gulfport, Miss. (WXXV) — A Harrison County man is facing two counts of first-degree murder after a shooting Monday morning at an AT&T on Crossroads Parkway left two people dead.
According to the Gulfport Police Department, officers responded to the 15000 block of Crossroads Parkway at approximately 11:14 a.m., following reports of a shooting.
Dispatchers were told a suspect entered a business and opened fire, striking multiple victims. Callers also provided a description of the suspect’s vehicle as it fled the scene.
When officers arrived, they found an employee and a customer suffering from gunshot wounds inside the business. Medical personnel responded and pronounced both victims dead at the scene.
Harrison County Coroner Brian Switzer later identified the victims as customer Mary Anne Oberlies, 78, of Gulfport, and employee Shane Basquill , 31, of Kiln.
As the investigation unfolded, responding officers located the suspect vehicle leaving the area and conducted a traffic stop. Police said the suspect was taken into custody without incident and a firearm was recovered. The suspect has been identified as Samuel Jermone Andrews, 71, of Harrison County.
After being processed at the Gulfport Police Department, Andrews was transported to the Harrison County Adult Detention Center. He is being held without bond on two counts of first-degree murder and on a $500,000 bond for one count of shooting into a crowd, according to Judge Albert Fountain.
The motive for the shooting has not been released. Anyone with information about the incident is asked to contact the Gulfport Police Department at 228-868-5959 or Mississippi Coast Crime Stoppers at 877-787-5898. The investigation remains ongoing.
