Gulfport police arrest 19-year-old after city’s 8th shooting of 2021
Gulfport police have arrested a 19-year-old in a shooting that took place at about 4:18 p.m. Monday in the 8000 block of South Carolina Ave — the eighth shooting police have reported since the start of 2021.
Brandon De’Jun Pittman was arrested Monday and charged with one count of shooting into an occupied dwelling.
Police say that they found during their investigation that Pittman fired multiple rounds from a firearm, hitting several vehicles and a residence.
Pittman’s bond has been set at $100,000.
Anyone with information on this incident, call the Gulfport Police Department at 228-868-5959 or Mississippi Coast Crime Stoppers at 877-787-5898.
The seven other shootings reported by Gulfport police so far in 2021 are:
▪ March 18: 32-year-old Earnesto Frederico West has been charged with one count of aggravated assault, one count of possession of a weapon by a convicted felon and one count of possession of a stolen firearm. He allegedly shot a male during an argument in the 4000 block of Ponderosa Drive on March 18. His bond was set at $400,000.
▪ March 7: Police arrested 18-year-old Makel Ravaught Thomas in the alleged shooting of a juvenile in the 14000 block of Spruce Court on March 7. Police say the two were involved in a verbal argument. Thomas was charge with one count of aggravated assault and two counts of shooting into an unoccupied dwelling. His bond was set at $200,000.
▪ March 3: Andre Jefferson has been charged with five counts of drive-by shooting, and his bond was set at $500,000. Jefferson allegedly discharged a firearm from a vehicle multiple times on the afternoon of March 3 in the 1200 block of Todd Avenue. Police are still searching for Jefferson.
▪ March 3: Two men were found dead from apparent gunshot wounds inside a residence in the 3700 block of 19th street.
▪ Feb. 20: Multiple victims were struck by gunfire at about 6:34 p.m. in the 1000 block of West Birch Drive. Officers found two adult females and a 3-year-old suffering from gunshot wounds. All three were taken to local hospitals for treatment for their injuries.
▪ Feb. 11: Officers responding to a 911 call of a domestic dispute in the 100 block of David Street found that it was a “hostage situation” and a woman who had been repeatedly stabbed. Officers tried to talk to the suspect, 39-year-old Jonathan Turner, before fatally shooting him in the home.
▪ Feb. 7: Officers responded at 11:35 p.m. to a report of a shooting in the 100 block of Tegarden Road, and found a male suffering from a gunshot wound.
