Gulfport officer shot someone outside Dollar Tree on U.S. 49, police say
Two Gulfport police officers shot a man Thursday afternoon outside of a Dollar Tree on U.S. 49, the police department said.
Officers were responding to a call about “a suspect abusing an animal and acting irate,” the department said in a press release Thursday evening.
The area is at the Pass Road and U.S. 49 intersection.
Police told people at the scene that one person had been transported to the hospital. They offered no details on the person’s condition.
Det. Jason DuCré confirmed in an interview with the Sun Herald that officers responded to the scene at about 2:51 p.m., after someone reported a man was abusing his dog and appeared to be experiencing mental health issues.
Gulfport Police Chief Chris Ryle told WXXV at the scene that the man pointed a weapon at officers, who then shot the man.
In the press release, Gulfport police said the weapon was a firearm.
“The white male suspect was engaged by two white officers,” the press release said.
Harrison County Coroner Brian Switzer said he had not been contacted about the shooting.
According to the Gulfport police press release, the Mississippi Bureau of Investigations and the Harrison County District Attorney’s Office is investigating the incident, with assistance from the Biloxi Police Department Crime Scene Unit.
In February, a Gulfport police officer fatally shot a Georgia man named Leonard Parker Jr. Police had responded to 911 calls from a home on 25th Street.
The police said Parker was driving a car towards the officer, away from the scene, when the officer shot and killed him.
This story was originally published November 12, 2020 at 3:37 PM.
