Brawl-turned-gunfight between teenage girls left 2 shot, injured in South MS, police say

Moss Point police responded to a brawl that escalated to a gunfight between teenagers at around 2 a.m. Thursday morning.

Moss Point Police Chief Brandon Ashley said police arrived near the scene, at the corner of Magnolia and Davis streets and stopped some of the fleeing vehicles. Two of the teenagers had been shot in their legs. The injuries do not appear severe, he said.

“It’s surprising we don’t have several homicides today,” Ashley said Wednesday.

Police have made no arrests, Ashley said in a press release on Friday.

Two groups of teenage girls confronted each other in a church parking lot on Davis Street, according to release said. The groups exchanged gunfire and police found 41 spent shell casings.

The vehicles police stopped and the nearby church, St. Paul United Methodist, were peppered with several bullet holes, Ashley said. Only a few were armed.

The large group, aged 15-17, had gathered at the intersection. Ashley believes they arrived with the intention of fighting. Most of the teens detained and questioned, were from other parts of the Coast, not Moss Point.

Ashley said police issued search warrants on several cars and found two firearms: a gun stolen from Hattiesburg and an AR-15 rifle. He said authorities seized 121 rounds of .22 caliber rifle ammunition.

It’s still unclear what exactly started the fight. Officers helped the injured teenagers get medical treatment, Ashley said.

Police are still investigating and processing “substantial evidence,” the press release said. “Authorities anticipate charges as the investigation progresses.”

Sun Herald staff writer Martha Sanchez contributed reporting.