At least 2 in custody after report of armed man outside Pascagoula school
Pascagoula police took three people into custody Monday for questioning after responding to a report of an armed man near a school.
The police officers rounded up the trio of suspects after being called to the Leap of Faith private school on Martin Street shortly after 1 p.m. At least two remained in police custody at noon Tuesday.
Police Chief Matt Chapman said he expects to release further details about the suspects if and when they are charged with any crime. He said others are expected to be picked up for additional questioning.
In an interview with the Sun Herald, school officials said they called for help after seeing a man with a gun in a truck parked outside.
While the 911 call was being placed, a school official was gathering up the students in the building and leading them to a safer area in the back of the business.
Pascagoula police responding to the scene heard shots fired just before their arrival, Chapman said.
At the school, police and personnel found bullet holes in the building.
It’s unclear if there were any injuries, though Chapman said he knew of no one who had suffered from gunshot wounds.
At the scene, Pascagoula police Lt. Cory Johnson said a truck related to the investigation was towed. It’s unclear whether the truck was the same one the man with a gun had been spotted in prior to the shooting.
Crime scene investigators spent time after the arrest taking pictures of a white Toyota Corolla that had already been at the scene when the shots rang out. Police, however, are unsure if anyone in that vehicle was tied to the incident.
Police first alerted residents to stay away from the area in and around the school on Martin Street shortly after 1 p.m. The building used to house Bethel Assembly of God Church.
By 1:45 p.m., the Police Department cleared the area.
The Sun Herald will update this story as new information becomes available.
To report criminal activity, call Pascagoula police at 228-762-2211.
This story was originally published March 21, 2022 at 2:56 PM.
