The Gazebo Gazette
GULFPORT (GG) — On Thursday, December 12, 2024, Latavion Bland, Vincent Armstrong, and Mario Clark, all of Gulfport, were sentenced for their involvement in a shootout on Lewis Avenue that left four men dead and three others injured on the night of December 31, 2021.
Bland previously pled guilty to an amended charge of Mayhem and was sentenced to five (5) years to serve in the Mississippi Department of Corrections consecutive to a six (6)-year sentence for an unrelated aggravated assault conviction. Armstrong pled guilty to an amended charge of Mayhem, an indicted charge of Shooting into a Motor Vehicle, and an unrelated charge of Possession of a Controlled Substance with Intent to Distribute. Armstrong was sentenced to five (5) years for his involvement in the NYE shootings and twenty (20) years for the unrelated drug distribution charge.
Armstrong’s sentences will run consecutively with one another for a total of twenty-five (25) years, suspending twenty (20) years, leaving five years to serve in the custody of the Mississippi Department of Corrections. Upon his release from custody, Armstrong will be placed on five (5) years of post-release supervision.
Clark pled guilty to an amended charge of Hindering Prosecution of a Felon and an unrelated charge of Felony Fleeing. Clark was sentenced to ten (10) years for his role in the NYE shootings and five (5) years in the felony fleeing charge for a total of fifteen (15) years, which was suspended for time served, followed by five (5) years of post-release supervision through MDOC.
The three men have remained in custody since their guilty pleas on July 26, 2024.
After receiving reports on December 31, 2021, of multiple shots fired on Lewis Avenue, the Gulfport Police Department responded to the scene and observed more than one hundred spent shell casings in the roadway and a front lawn on Lewis Avenue and several houses and cars riddled with bullet holes on Lewis Avenue.
When police arrived, Nathaniel Harris, Sedrick McCord, Corey Dubose, and Aubrey Lewis, had all been shot and killed, and three others had sustained non-life threatening gunshot wounds.
The investigation revealed that a New Year’s Eve celebration was taking place at a home on Lewis Avenue. The party was originally attended by a group of older adults. However, during the hours leading up to midnight, a large group of younger individuals from one neighborhood arrived at the party, followed shortly by a large group of younger individuals from another neighborhood.
In all, more than 100 young people would arrive at the party. Witnesses stated that tensions began to rise between the two groups as the night progressed.
Those tensions would come to a head minutes before midnight when Aubrey Lewis of Bay St. Louis became involved in a fist fight with Corey Dubose from Gulfport. The fight took place in the middle of Lewis Avenue, and resulted in the two falling on Sedrick McCord’s car. Witnesses stated that McCord took exception to the two men fighting on the hood of his car, so McCord stepped out of the car and fired his pistol once into the air.
Lewis and Dubose then simultaneously pulled their firearms and shot and killed each other. Isavian Preston of Gulfport, then shot and killed McCord. After Preston shot McCord, several other individuals, including Bland and Armstrong, pulled their firearms and shot recklessly into the crowd gathered around the fight.
Once the shooting stopped, Nathaniel Harris was located deceased in the street. During their guilty pleas, both Bland and Armstrong admitted to shooting blindly into the crowd, and Armstrong also admitted to shooting a vehicle. Clark admitted that he lied to police in an attempt to cover for his brother, Armstrong.
All seven (7) co-defendants have been convicted and sentenced for their roles in the shootings.
Isavian Preston pled guilty last December to Manslaughter and Unlawful Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon, and was sentenced to a term of thirty (30) years, to run consecutively to an eight (8)-year sentence he is currently serving on a revocation of his previous conviction.
Khalid Williams also pled guilty in April to two counts of Unlawful Possession of a Weapon by Convicted Felon related to this matter, and was sentenced to twelve (12) years to serve consecutive to an eight (8)-year sentence he is currently serving on a revocation in a prior conviction.
Breanna Riley pled guilty in June to Hindering Prosecution of a Felon, and was sentenced earlier this week to 5 years of non-adjudicated probation as a first-time offender.
Bobby Hands pleaded guilty last week to Unlawful Possession of a Weapon by a Convicted Felon and was sentenced to ten (10) years suspended for time served followed by 5 years of post-release supervision. Hands will begin serving his sentence after he completes his 8-year revocation sentence in an unrelated Jackson County charge.
