Louisiana resident arrested in I-10 road rage shooting death of Gulfport man
Authorities announced Monday the arrest of a Hammond, Louisiana, resident in connection with the Memorial Day weekend road rage killing of a Gulfport man.
The Mississippi Bureau of Investigation, the Drug Enforcement Administration and Hammond police jointly investigated the case and ultimately identified the suspect.
The suspect, identified in a press conference as Janvique Entrael Franklin Jr., 24, was arrested on a charge of manslaughter, or homicide without malice but in the heat of passion, said Sean Tindell, MHP commissioner of public safety.
Authorities traced the suspect after responding to a domestic violence call in Hammond a couple of days after the road rage incident.
A responding officer on the domestic call noticed a 9-millimeter handgun that was later confirmed as the weapon used in the fatal road rage shooting.
Franklin, Tindell said, later admitted he was the one who fired the fatal shots that led to the death of Brandon Box, 30.
During a press conference with authorities from multiple agencies, authorities extended their condolences to the Box family as they continue to mourn the loss of a family member.
Firecracker and shots fired
Franklin is now in custody in Louisiana pending extradition back to Mississippi to face prosecution in the May 25 road killing of Box, who lived in Gulfport.
A $10,000 reward was offered for information leading to an arrest.
According to Mississippi Coast Crime Stoppers, a dispute between drivers in two vehicles took place for 17 miles from the 68- and the 51-mile markers on I-10 westbound.
Authorities later identified the suspect’s vehicle as a small SUV with a Louisiana tag. Police were unsure how many people were in the suspect’s vehicle at the time, but they said that a woman was driving and a man was in the front seat.
During the dispute on the roadway over the Memorial Day weekend, a firecracker was thrown from the suspect’s car into the bed of Box’s Dodge Ram 1500 at the foot of the Pascagoula bridge near a rest area.
Multiple shots were fired at Box’s pickup truck that was hauling an enclosed trailer at the time. One of the rounds hit Box.
A 9-millimeter weapon was used in the shooting.
Crime Stoppers took tips in the investigation.
A life cut short
Born in Gulfport, Box was a 2008 graduate of St. Patrick High School and attended the University of Mississippi from 2008 through 2012.
He was survived by a wife of 11 years, Jessie Hanson Box, along with his parents and a brother and other relatives.
At the time of his death, he was working an an environmental health and safety specialist for Industrial Corrosion Control Inc. (ICCI). He was certified in NACE Coating Inspector Training, OSHA Training, and HAZWOPER Training.
Friends and family described him as a kind, caring and compassionate man with a passion for life.
This story was originally published July 20, 2020 at 10:26 AM.
