Gulfport man admits on FaceTime to killing outside restaurant, detective says
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Gulfport man admits to fatal shooting during FaceTime call with a friend, detective said.
- Detective cites video and witness accounts linking suspect to May 5 shooting.
- Judge lowers murder suspect's bond after testimony from the suspect’s father.
A Gulfport man accused in the shooting death of a local barber outside a Coast restaurant admitted his alleged crime to a friend during a Facetime call, according to Gulfport Police Detective Travis Breland.
“He punched me, and I shot him,” Jordan Tyrick Johnson, 25, said to a friend during the call a couple of days after the killing, Breland said.
Police arrested Johnson for first-degree murder in the May 5 shooting death of Christopher Skinner, 34, of Gulfport.
According to Breland, the shooting happened about a minute after Gulfport police responded to a report of a fight at Azteca’s Restaurant & Cantina around 9:36 p.m.
At the time, police were moving an overflow crowd outside the Highway 49 restaurant. The crowd had gathered there that night for a Cinco de Mayo celebration.
The detective testified during Johnson’s preliminary hearing, after which Judge Brandon Lander found enough evidence to bind the case over to a grand jury for indictment.
After the killing, Detective Breland said Johnson fled the scene and eventually drove to his mother’s home in Natchez.
Johnson made the trip north after Wiggins police first arrested him for misdemeanor drunk driving. During the traffic stop, officers found a .45-caliber handgun in his car, which Breland said they believe is the murder weapon.
At the time of the traffic stop, Wiggins police did not know Johnson was a suspect in the Gulfport murder. Johnson also had no prior felony convictions..
Since the murder, Breland said police obtained camera footage of the shooting and talked to others who witnessed the shooting and identified Johnson as the shooter.
The detective said Johnson had the gun hidden in a cross-body bag when he pulled it out and shot Skinner in the Highway 49 parking lot.
According to Breland, Skinner had been shot once and had fallen to the ground when Johnson fired two more rounds at Skinner. Skinner died of multiple gunshot wounds.
After the shooting, police recovered three .45-caliber shell casings in the restaurant parking lot.
Johnson’s attorney, Joshua Johnson, argued his client had not committed a crime but instead acted in self-defense because Skinner first punched Johnson in the face. That encounter occurred shortly after Skinner first approached Johnson while he was talking to a woman inside, he said.
Harrison County prosecuting attorney Herman Cox said a jury would ultimately decide whether Johnson’s claims were valid, and the judge agreed.
However, the judge granted the defense attorney’s request to reduce Johnson’s $1 million bond to $500,000. The judge issued the ruling after hearing testimony from Johnson’s father.
Johnson’s father said he brought his son to the Gulfport Police Department to turn himself in after the young man fled to his mother’s home in Natchez after the drunk driving arrest. His father said he picked his son up and took him to surrender once police issued a warrant for his arrest on the murder charge.
His father told the judge he would ensure his son appeared at all court proceedings if he was released on bond pending indictment and trial. Johnson had no prior criminal history.
At the time of his death, Skinner was a licensed barber who lived in Gulfport’s Soria City community. According to his obituary, he had attended school in Gulfport, where he played sports and participated in events at the Gulfport Little Theater.
Relatives remembered Skinner as a man “known for his big heart, beautiful smile, and infectious laugh, (who) ... brought joy to everyone he encountered.”
This story was originally published May 22, 2025 at 12:57 PM.
