Nationwide — Samuel Jerome Andrews, a 71-year-old African American man from Gulfport, Mississippi, is accused of fatally shooting two people inside an AT&T store at Crossroads Mall. The victims were identified as a 31-year-old store employee and a 78-year-old customer. Both died at the scene after the shooting Monday morning. Police received reports of the shooting around 11:14 a.m. According to WLBT, witnesses said Andrews drove up to the curb outside the store before getting out of his vehicle carrying a shotgun. He then walked toward the entrance. One witness told the station that Andrews fired through the store’s door before entering the building.
Authorities said he continued firing after going inside. Police identified the victims as 31-year-old Shane Basquill and 78-year-old Mary Anne Oberlies. Basquill worked at the AT&T store, while Oberlies was there as a customer. Both suffered fatal gunshot wounds and were pronounced dead at the scene.
Three other people were inside the store during the shooting. They called 911 and gave police a description of Andrews and the vehicle he was driving. The information helped officers identify the vehicle as they began investigating the shooting and working to determine what happened before the gunfire.
Police later arrested Andrews and took him to the Harrison County Adult Detention Center. He is being held without bond on two counts of first-degree murder. He also faces one count of shooting into a crowd, and a judge set bond for that charge at $500,000.
Authorities have not released a possible motive or said what may have led to the shooting. Investigators are still working to piece together the events leading up to the attack and what happened inside the store. Andrews remains in custody as the investigation continues and the charges against him move through the court system.