A Gulfport couple dropped off their kids to prepare for a gun fight. An unarmed man died.
A couple will each serve decades in prison in relation to a May 2020 killing at a Gulfport apartment complex.
Aaron Mays, 29, and Gitano Lewis, 33, both pleaded guilty last week to second degree murder and aggravated assault, District Attorney W. Crosby Parker said in a press release.
Mays and Lewis admitted to leaving their Emerald Pines apartment on May 25, 2020, dropping off their children with a relative and returning to the complex ready for a gun fight with a neighbor.
Once back at Emerald Pines, Tremaine Brown answered the door and was shot in the back as he was walking away when Mays opened fire. A second victim inside the apartment was shot in the arm.
Brown was taken to an area hospital by private vehicle where he later died.
Gulfport Police were called to the scene shortly after midnight. Investigators interviewed multiple witnesses who identified Mays and Lewis were the shooters.
A D’Iberville police officer located Mays and Lewis the next night and arrested them.
“At the time of their arrest, Lewis had a .22 caliber pistol in a holster on her hip, and Mays had a 9mm pistol on the floorboard of the passenger seat in which he was seated,” Crosby said in the release.
In recorded statements, Mays and Lewis admitted to the shooting but claimed the victims had guns, too, and one of the victims fired first. Forensic evidence proved that shell casings at the crime scenes all came from Mays’ gun, said prosecuting Assistant District Attorney Ian Baker.
“During her plea, Lewis admitted that she never saw either victim with a gun. Lewis also admitted that she tried to shoot her gun, but it did not fire,” Baker said.
Judge Chris Schmidt at sentencing told the defendants that “today’s culture does not value human life. They operate on emotional triggers.
Schmidt sentenced Lewis to 40 years in prison, with 15 years suspended, leaving 25 years to serve. Mays will serve 30 years in prison. He was also sentenced to 40 years, with 10 years suspended.
“We commend the Gulfport Police Department and the members of the community who came forward and provided information which resulted in these convictions,” Parker said. “Their work and assistance helped bring closure in the criminal case, and justice to this family who lost a loved one.”
This story was originally published August 17, 2022 at 9:42 AM.
