Hancock County man sentenced after shooting U.S. Marshal in neck at Gautier hotel

A man who shot a U.S. Marshals Fugitive Task Force member outside a Gautier hotel last year was sentenced to 21 years in prison for assault of a federal officer and discharging a firearm in relation to a crime of violence.

Joseph Dale Sonnier, 32, of Hancock County, had pleaded guilty to the charges on April 1, 2021.

According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, the shooting occurred on July 21, 2020, when the U.S. Marshals Fugitive Task Force knocked on the door of Sonnier’s hotel room at the Siegel Select Gautier hotel to execute an arrest warrant.

Sonnier had an outstanding warrant for two counts of kidnapping, armed robbery, two counts of aggravated assault, and unlawful possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.

A woman opened the hotel room door for the USMS agents and as USMS agents attempted to call Sonnier out of the room, Sonnier shot two rounds from a High-Point .45 caliber semi-automatic pistol, striking one of the agents in the neck, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

According to previous Sun Herald reporting, Sonnier was on parole, having just got out of state prison after serving 7 years of a 20-year sentence for burglary and he had no intention of returning to prison or being taken alive.