The Gazebo Gazette
GULFPORT (GG) — On Friday, October 11, 2024, Makhari Seven Gasaway, of Los Angeles, California, pled guilty and was sentenced Friday in Gulfport on one count of Second-Degree Murder, one count of Aggravated Assault, and one count of Tampering with Evidence. Circuit Court Judge Lisa Dodson sentenced Makhari Seven Gasaway to a combined sentence of 50 years, 20 suspended, 30 years to serve in prison, with 5 years of reporting post-release supervision. Gasaway’s sentence for Second-Degree Murder must be served day-for-day without the benefit of early release or parole.
The investigation into the murder began on June 21, 2022, when the Gulfport Police Department responded to a shooting that was reported from inside an apartment complex.
“Officers responded to the scene and found Brushawn Shawmayne McClam deceased from two gunshot wounds and discovered his sister, Kenisha McClain, also wounded with three gunshot wounds. McClain informed the police that she and her sibling were shot by an unknown black male wearing dark clothes who entered their apartment around midnight. Gulfport Detectives obtained video surveillance from more than twenty locations throughout the City of Gulfport and tracked the suspect’s flight on a bicycle, after the shooting to another apartment complex, where they located the bicycle,” said Assistant District Attorney (ADA) Chris Daniel, who prosecuted the case with ADA Haley Broom. “Detectives conducted surveillance and obtained a search warrant to seize the bicycle and search the nearby apartment where they located identification, the firearm, and clothing worn by Gasaway at the time of the crimes. The Defendant was interviewed by detectives, and he admitted he owned the firearm, and that he traveled to the apartment to meet McClam, who he had met through a dating website. The Defendant ultimately admitted to shooting in the apartment and shooting McClam when he learned that McClam was a male and also admitted to deleting all the messages between he and McClam after the murder.”
During the plea hearing, Judge Dodson stated, “Why didn’t you just walk out? I can’t fathom why you would react so viscerally as to shoot somebody. No one did anything to you. The family will suffer forever, and you will have this long sentence.”
“This senseless and tragic crime caused a huge loss for the family and friends of Brushawn McClam. This is an important day for the family as they seek justice for the loss of a beloved son and sibling. We appreciate the hard work, dedication and commitment of the Gulfport Police Department that ensured this arrest and conviction,” said District Attorney W. Crosby Parker.
