Three Gulfport men have been sentenced for their involvement in a shootout that left four dead and three injured at a New Year’s Eve party.
Latavion Bland, Vincent Armstrong, and Mario Clark previously pleaded guilty for their roles in fatal incident that took place on Lewis Avenue in Gulfport on Dec. 31, 2021. All three have been in custody since their pleas in July 2024 with their sentences being handed down Thursday.
Bland pleaded guilty to amended charge of mayhem and was sentenced to five years in prison. He was also sentenced to six additional years for an unrelated aggravated assault conviction.
Armstrong pleaded guilty to an amended charge of mayhem, one charge of shooting into a motor vehicle, and an unrelated charge of possession of a controlled substance with intent to distribute. He was sentenced to a total of 25 years with 20 years suspended, meaning he will serve five years behind bars. Upon release, he will be placed on five years of post-release supervision.
Clark pleaded guilty to an amended charge of hindering prosecution of a felon and an unrelated charge of felony fleeing. He was sentenced to 15 years suspended and five years of post-release supervision.
According to court records, the Gulfport Police Department received reports of multiple shots fired. When officers arrived at the house party nearly three years ago, they observed more than 100 spent shell casings in the roadway and front lawn of the house in question. They also noticed several cars and homes riddled with bullets before coming across the bodies of Nathaniel Harris, Sedrick McCoy, Corey Dubose, and Aubrey Lewis. Three others were also suffering from non-life-threatening injuries.
Through their investigation, GPD officers spoke to people who attended the party. Witnesses said the party originally consisted of a group of older adults before a group of younger people arrived in the hours leading up to midnight. Then, another group of younger people from a different neighborhood arrive with tensions beginning to rise.
Those tensions would come to a head minutes before midnight when Lewis got into a fist fight with Dubose, of Gulfport. The fight took place in the roadway outside the residence. As the two were struggling, they ended up on top of McCoy’s vehicle. In turn, McCoy fired his pistol into the air.
That’s when Lewis and Dubose simultaneously pulled out their firearms before shooting and killing each other. Isavian Preston then shot and killed McCord. Several other individuals, including Bland and Armstrong, began recklessly shooting into the crowd gathered around the fight. Harris was victim of the gunfire.
During their plea hearings, both Bland and Armstrong admitted to shooting blindly into the crowd. Armstrong also admitted to shooting into a vehicle, while Clark admitted that he lied to police to try to cover up for his brother, Armstrong.
With Thursday’s sentencing of Bland, Armstrong, and Clark, all seven co-defendants have been convicted and sentenced.
Preston pleaded guilty last December to manslaughter and unlawful possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. He was sentenced to 38 years. Khalid Williams pleaded guilty in April to two counts of unlawful possession of a weapon by a convicted felon and was sentenced to 20 years. Breanna Riley pleaded guilty in June to hindering prosecution of a felon and was sentenced earlier this week to five years of probation.
Bobby Hands pleaded guilty last week to unlawful possession of a weapon by a convicted felon and was sentenced to 10 years suspended and five years of post-release supervision. However, Hands will have to serve eight years in prison for an unrelated charge in neighboring Jackson County.