Picayune police are investigating after shots rang out at a local apartment complex, with responding officers recovering roughly 25 shell casings from both handguns and rifles at the scene. Police found no victims and checked area hospitals.
The investigation falls under newly appointed Police Chief James Bolton, a 35-year law enforcement veteran who was appointed in August after 20 years with Picayune police, including a stint as assistant chief, succeeding Chief Joe Quave, who planned to retire in September, according to Darkhorse Press.
It is not yet clear what charges, if any, investigators are pursuing, since key facts — including whether shots were fired from a vehicle or struck a residence — remain unconfirmed. If the shooting is determined to have come from a moving vehicle, Mississippi law classifies drive-by shootings as a felony punishable by up to 30 years in state prison and a fine of up to $10,000. Separately, state law makes it a felony to shoot into any occupied or unoccupied dwelling, carrying a sentence of up to 10 years in the state penitentiary regardless of whether anyone inside is hurt.
Mississippi's Violent-Crime Sentencing Rules
Both offenses are classified under state law as crimes of violence, meaning any eventual conviction would require the offender to serve at least half of the prison sentence before becoming eligible for parole. Those statutory thresholds would only come into play if investigators identify a suspect and determine exactly how the shots were fired — details that remain unresolved in this case.
This is not the first time gunfire has erupted at a Picayune apartment property. In January, police investigated a shooting at a local complex that left one teenager injured; two teenagers were charged, and charges against a third person were pending, according to WLOX. And in February 2021, three juveniles were injured and airlifted to a New Orleans hospital after a 13-year-old opened fire with a handgun near the city's Grande Oak Apartments, according to WRJW Radio, which reported the suspect was later charged as an adult with three counts of aggravated assault.
A City Where Violent Crime Has Dropped, But Concerns Persist
The latest incident comes even as Picayune's overall violent crime numbers have fallen sharply. FBI crime data compiled by OpenCrime shows the city recorded 22 violent crimes in 2024, including 2 murders, a 51.3 percent drop from 2023, with a violent crime rate of 185.5 per 100,000 residents. Property crime, meanwhile, remained more common: OpenCrime lists 320 property crimes in 2024.
Anyone with information about the shooting can contact Mississippi Coast Crime Stoppers.
