Bystander among injured when man fired rifle into MS Coast bar after argument over tip

An argument over a tip ended in gunfire on Saturday when a D’Iberville man allegedly shot two people after he was escorted out of an Gulfport bar, police said.

Clarence Thompson III, 35, was arrested Monday. He faces two counts of aggravated assault and one count of shooting into an occupied dwelling.

Police responded at 1:46 a.m. Saturday to a shooting complaint at Orangutangs Daiquiri Bar in the 220 block of Courthouse Road, Sgt. Jason DuCre said. Police found two victims, each wounded by a single gunshot.

Detectives found the argument began over a tip and escalated, DuCre said. Thompson was escorted out, then pulled a rifle from his car and fired “multiple rounds” before he fled, police said.

Both victims were taken to hospitals and listed in stable condition, police said. One victim was involved in the argument and another was a bystander, DuCre said.

Thompson was on parole for a previous aggravated assault in Hattiesburg, DuCre said. He faces 17 years in prison in addition to any sentence imposed for his recent charges, police said. Aggravated assault charges carry up to 20 years in prison. A conviction for shooting into an occupied dwelling carries up to 10 years in prison and fines up to $5,000.

The shooting was the second reported over the weekend at a Mississippi Coast bar. Two people were arrested Sunday night after a fight at Harold and Lillian’s bar in Hancock County wounded one bystander.

This story was originally published October 8, 2024 at 9:24 AM.