A teenager shot by Gulfport police died from his wounds. His family wants justice
A Gulfport teen has died of a gunshot wound he suffered when Gulfport police shot him in the head after responding to a report of several people in a car, all minors, waving guns at motorists last week.
Harrison County Coroner Brian Switzer confirmed Jaheim McMillan, 15, died Saturday after he was taken off of life support at USA Hospital in Mobile. An autopsy is scheduled for Tuesday, he said.
McMillan was a freshman at Gulfport High School, according to relatives, and is survived by his mother, Katrina Mateen, and other relatives, most of whom are openly questioning why police shot and killed Jaheim.
Teens waving guns at motorists?
Gulfport police said in a press release that the shooting occurred Thursday afternoon after they responded to a 911 call in the area on Pass Road and 8th Avenue in reference to several minors waving guns at other motorists.
Gulfport police pulled the minors over in the parking lot of Family Dollar, where a Gulfport police officer engaged an armed suspect, since identified as McMillan, resulting in shots being fired.
Jaheim’s family doesn’t believe he was armed at the time and is calling for justice for his death.
In addition, supporters are calling for the immediate release of camera footage of the shooting.
Jaheim was initially taken to Memorial Hospital at Gulfport for treatment but was then transferred to the Mobile hospital, where he subsequently died shortly before 5 p.m. Saturday.
In a video taken by a bystander after the shots had been fired, Jaheim could be seen on the ground in front of the door to the store. A witness said police had handcuffed the teen after he had been shot.
Gulfport Police Chief Adam Cooper said police took four other suspects, all believed to be minors, into custody and that several firearms had been recovered from the scene.
Jaheim’s family and friends and loved ones gathered for a candlelight vigil shortly after the shooting at the Family Dollar store.
Since the shooting, a GoFundMe account has been set up to help Jaheim’s mother with expenses.
Another relative lost in MS Coast police shooting
The family of Jaheim McMillan has already dealt with the loss of another relative in an encounter with police officers.
In that case, Gulfport police officers shot and killed Jaheim’s uncle, Marvin Ray McMillan, after Marvin McMillan barricaded himself in a home in March 2018 and shot at the police officers
At the time of that shooting, Gulfport police were trying to take Marvin McMillan, 41, into custody on an aggravated assault charge for allegedly shooting someone during a dispute in January 2018.
A Harrison County grand jury later cleared Gulfport police officers of any wrongdoing in Marvin McMillan’s death.
Meanwhile, the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation is handling an independent investigation into the shooting of Jaheim McMillan.
MBI investigates all police shootings in the state and the attorney general’s office is in charge of any prosecutions — all as a result of recent legislative action.
Prior to that, the prosecutors from the individual districts where the police shootings took place handled their own cases and presented the evidence to grand juries to determine if criminal charges should be filed.
This story was originally published October 10, 2022 at 1:22 PM.
