Suspects in park shooting considered armed and dangerous, Bay police say

Police have identified two Coast men sought in a shooting that killed one man and wounded another in a robbery at Martin Luther King Jr. Park.

Police obtained arrest warrants Friday for Armon Joseph Crawford, 18, of Gulfport and Xavier Lamar Simmons, 19, of D’Iberville, said police Chief Gary Ponthieux.

The men are sought on charges connected to a June 6 shooting at the park in the 500 block of Washington Street.

D’Ante Washington died, suffering a gunshot wound to the head, and D’Quan Lewis also was shot but his wound was not life-threatening, Ponthieux said.

Washington, 23, was a rapper known as Tae Spitta, and was the father of a 1-year-old son. Lewis also is 23.

Crawford and Simmons are both sought on charges of murder, armed robbery and aggravated assault.

They should be considered armed and dangerous, Ponthieux said.

Anybody with information on their whereabouts is asked to call the Bay St. Louis Police Department at 228-467-9222, or give an anonymous tip to Mississippi Coast Crimestoppers, which offers a reward of up to $1,000 for information leading to a felony arrest. You can call Crime Stoppers at 1-877-787-5898.

Police had questioned Crawford a day or two after the shooting after Gulfport police picked him up for Bay police. He was not arrested at that time.

Shots were reported fired into a house a few miles away on Watts Street about half an hour after the park shooting. It’s unclear if that shooting was related.

This story was originally published July 20, 2018 at 7:35 PM.