A shooting occurred during a Cinco de Mayo party at an Ocean Springs restaurant, leaving seven people shot and one dead, according to Police Chief Mark Dunston.
The deceased man, identified as 19-year-old Chase Harmon of Pascagoula, was confirmed by Jackson County Deputy Coroner James Preswick.
Two of the six injured people are hospitalized, one in stable condition but in the intensive care unit at Ocean Springs Hospital and the other in stable condition in New Orleans, said Ocean Springs Police Capt. Ryan Lemire. He is under observation at the hospital.
The restaurant known as The Scratch Kitchen on Government Street was cordoned off with crime scene tape as authorities surveyed the area and collected evidence. Mayor Kenny Holloway also visited the scene. The back patio area, where the shooting took place, was cordoned off with yellow crime scene tape, and the establishment was cordoned off as an active crime scene. The police department revealed that there are no suspects currently in custody, but investigations are ongoing since the incident. Anyone with information about the shooting is urged to contact the Ocean Springs Police Department.
A witness, Abrini Goldsmith, shared her account of the tragic incident. He described trying to administer CPR to the victim after he fell to the ground. Goldsmith heard gunshots, took cover under a table, and then saw the victim struggling to breathe. He immediately applied a makeshift bandage and performed CPR before calling the police for help. Goldsmith chose to stay at the scene even after the victim stopped breathing, vowing to do everything he could to help. She emphasized that incidents like this are unusual in Ocean Springs.
Restaurant owner Brittany Alexander provided more details, saying the suspect was believed to have climbed a nearby wall. Alexander confirmed that the person killed was a customer, not the shooter. The restaurant’s patio area, where a DJ performs, is restricted to those 21 and older. Security personnel search all entrants, and patrons are given wristbands indicating the legal drinking age after paying a cover charge. About 200 people were at the Cinco de Mayo party at the time of the shooting.
The incident sparked debate on social media platforms, with the Ocean Springs community expressing shock and concern. The shooting follows a previous shooting in the restaurant’s parking lot, where a 22-year-old man was accidentally shot in the leg. Other recent shootings have also occurred at various nightlife spots in Ocean Springs, including a fatal shooting outside the Kahuna-OS bar and a shooting outside the Ocean Springs Daiquiri Company.
