Ocean Springs mass shooting suspect is back on the MS Coast. Here are the charges he faces.
A Mississippi man accused of killing a teen and injuring six others in a mass shooting at Scratch Kitchen restaurant in Ocean Springs is back on the Coast and faces multiple felony charges.
Fa’Darius Davon Williams was extradited from Mobile, Alabama, to the Jackson County jail Monday afternoon and is held without bond, according to records. He faces charges of felony murder and five felony counts of aggravated assault in the shooting at a Cinco de Mayo party.
Williams is accused of firing into a crowd of about 200 people on May 5. Chayse Harmon, a 19-year-old man from Moss Point, was shot in the chest and died at the restaurant.
After the shooting, Ocean Springs police Capt. Ryan LeMaire told the Sun Herald, Williams went to a local hospital for treatment after sustaining a hand injury. He was later transferred to a hospital in Mobile.
Ocean Springs police believe Williams was affiliated with either the Wicked street gang or Guap Gang Empire.
The two gangs are known to be involved in alleged gun and drug sales and operate across the Mississippi Coast.
Williams has a criminal history dating back to 2018 when Jackson County Sheriff’s deputies arrersted him on two counts of aggravated assault that led to injuries at a St. Martin apartment complex.
A Jackson County grand jury later indicted Williams on felony charges of possession of marijuana and possession of a stolen firearm, identified in court records as a rifle.
Williams later pleaded guilty to both the firearms and drug charge and received probation for the offenses.
Once he completed the terms of his probation in January, Judge Kathy King Jackson dismissed the drug and gun charges against him as part of the plea agreement in that case.
The mass shooting at the Scratch Kitchen, one of the few Black owned businesses in downtown Ocean Springs, has polarized the community.
The city successfully argued to temporarily close the restaurant and is arguing to shutter it permanently, citing code violations, underage drinking and other issues.
The investigation is ongoing.
This story was originally published May 16, 2023 at 1:36 PM.
