One of several charged in MS Coast NYE mass shooting pleads guilty. What we know
One of several accused shooters in a mass shooting that took place in Gulfport on New Year’s Eve in 2021 pled guilty this week, according to a press release from District Attorney W. Crosby Parker.
Isavian O’Terry Rashun Preston, 25, of Gulfport, pled guilty to shooting and killing Sedrick McCord, 28, during a New Year’s Eve party on Lewis Avenue.
Preston was sentenced to 30 years in the Mississippi Department of Corrections after accepting a plea deal on amended charges of manslaughter and unlawful possession of a weapon by a convicted felon. As a part of Preston’s plea deal, Preston will be required to testify in the cases of his co-defendants.
Preston’s sentence will run consecutively to an 8-year sentence he is already serving on a prior drug possession charge.
During his guilty plea, Preston admitted to shooting McCord and to having a firearm after he was previously convicted of a felony.
On Dec. 31, 2021, Nathaniel Harris, 52, Sedrick McCord, 28, Corey Dubose, 23, and Aubrey Lewis, 22, were shot and killed outside a New Year’s Eve party after a fight broke out.
According to investigators, Aubrey Lewis and Corey Dubose got in a fist fight, which led to Lewis, Dubose, and several other men pulling guns and firing at each other and into the crowd gathered around the fight. Previous reporting from the Sun Herald identified the party as having over 100 people in attendance.
According to the press release, police recovered over 100 spent shell casings from the scene and surrounding houses.
During the investigation, police identified several suspected shooters, including Preston.
“Witnesses specifically identified Preston as the person who shot and killed Sedrick McCord during the exchange of gunfire,” Assistant District Attorney Ian Baker, who prosecuted the case, said in the press release.
In January, Preston, Latavin Bland, 23, Vincent Armstrong, 23, Mario Clark, 25, Khalid Williams, 28, Bobby Hands, 29, and Breanna Riley, 25, were indicted by a grand jury on multiple charges including Second-Degree Murder, Aggravated Assault, and Hindering Prosecution for their respective roles in the shooting.
Circuit Court Judge Christopher Schmidt, who presided over the sentencing, asked Preston if all of the gun play going on in the streets was worth spending a substantial part of his life in prison.
“No,” Preston said.
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This story was originally published December 6, 2023 at 2:39 PM.
