A suspect who allegedly killed two people inside the AT&T store at Crossroads Mall in Gulfport on Monday has been charged with two counts of first-degree murder and one count of shooting into a crowd.
According to witnesses, 71-year-old Samuel Jerome Andrews of Harrison County pulled up to the curb outside the store, got out of the vehicle with a gun, and shot through the door before entering. Once inside, he fired again, killing 31-year-old Shane Basquill, of Kiln, and 78-year-old Mary Anne Oberlies, of Gulfport.
Basquill was an employee at the store, and Oberlies was a customer.
There were three other people in the store when the shooting occurred at around 11:14 a.m.
Responding officers observed the suspect’s vehicle fleeing the scene. A traffic stop was conducted, and the suspect was taken into custody without incident. Police were able to recover a firearm.
After processing at the Gulfport Police Department, Andrews was transported to the Harrison County Adult Detention Center, where he is being held without bond for two counts of first-degree murder and on a $500,000 bond for one count of shooting into a crowd, per Judge Albert Fountain.
Anyone with information regarding the incident is urged to contact the Gulfport Police Department at 228-868-5959 or Mississippi Coast Crime Stoppers at 877-787-5898.
