Gulfport teen accused of aiding suspects after execution-style slaying, authorities say
U.S. Marshals helped track down a Gulfport man who was jailed Thursday on a charge of accessory after the fact to the Dec. 17 execution-style killing of a 16-year-old boy, Harrison County Sheriff Troy Peterson said in a press release.
Damari Demonti Daniels, 19, of Gulfport, is held at the Harrison County jail on a $25,000 bond set by Justice Court Judge Brandon Ladner. Jail records show deputies booked him into the jail at 10:55 a.m. Thursday.
It is unclear what kind of assistance Daniels allegedly provided to a 14-year-old boy or his co-defendant Johnte Pouerie, 21, before their arrests in late December, each on a first-degree murder charge in the slaying of Lazarius Smith.
Authorities arrested the two murder suspects after tracking them down days after the killing in a field on Mississippi 15 near Posey Road in Harrison County.
During subsequent testimony in a court hearing, Harrison County Sheriff’s Investigator Michael Giardini said the two shooting suspects are associates of a rap group called “Wicked” that is allegedly involved in criminal activity involving guns and drugs.
The investigator said authorities have tracked down social media posts and pictures of the murder suspects performing in videos by the rap group.
The video authorities have found, the investigator said, includes footage of the two shooting suspects handling various firearms and wearing, at times, ski masks that appear to be the same ski masks U.S. Marshals found on the suspects at the time of their arrests.
The officer said some videos showed the suspects holding guns in what appears to be the same field where the shooting victim died and where the suspects and others often hung out to shoot guns.
In addition to videos and pictures, investigators say they have tracked other social media interactions between the alleged shooters to confirm they had planned to get together to target shoot the day of the killing.
In addition, Smith’s girlfriend told authorities early on that she last saw him the day of his death when Pouerie picked Smith up to go target shooting with him and the 14-year-old shooting suspect.
