A Gulfport man has been sentenced to 35 years in prison after pleading guilty to second-degree murder and shooting into a dwelling.
On Feb. 12, 2024, officers with the Gulfport Police Department responded to a shooting around 2:30 a.m. at a home on Kenwood Drive. Upon arrival, they found a residence that had been struck multiple times by gunfire and discovered the body of 16-year-old Zaelyn Braxton.
Police located surveillance footage from a neighbor showing a man clad in black running down the road and fleeing the area. Gulfport police recovered the victim’s phone from the scene and discovered that Braxton had been in contact with a 19-year-old named Elijah Eckford about meeting up.
Gulfport police located and interviewed Eckford that same day. At first denying any connection, Eckford eventually admitted to going to Braxton’s residence to sell him a vape. He told detectives that there was a disagreement about the price, which led to the shooting where they both fired at each other. This turned out to be a lie, according to prosecutors.
“However, during his guilty plea on Monday, Eckford stated that the real reason he went to Braxton’s residence was to steal a gun that Braxton had displayed on social media,” Assistant District Attorney Jasmine Magee, who prosecuted the case, said. “Eckford also stated that when Braxton retrieved the gun, Eckford heard a gunshot and began firing shots at Braxton as Eckford ran away.”
Circuit Court Judge Christopher L. Schmidt sentenced Eckford, now 21, to 25 years for second-degree murder and 10 years for shooting into a dwelling. The two sentences will run consecutively, totaling 35 years in the custody of the Mississippi Department of Corrections.
“This case is another painful reminder of the devastating consequences of youth violence. A 16-year-old lost his life, a then 19-year-old will spend decades in prison, and two families will carry the weight of this tragedy for the rest of their lives,” District Attorney W. Crosby Parker said.
“Both teenagers chose to carry firearms. The defendant will now spend more years incarcerated than he has lived,” the DA continued. “As a community, we must continue investing in our youth and impress upon them that carrying a gun and making a split-second decision can have lifelong, irreversible consequences.”
