South MS man accused of firing into a crowd on Fourth of July facing child abuse charges

An Ocean Springs man who police say opened fire into a neighbor’s Fourth of July party now faces heightened charges in the shooting that authorities said hit more than a dozen people, including several children, with birdshot last week.

Police charged Henry Andray, 68, with 13 counts of aggravated assault and three counts of child abuse with serious bodily harm, Deputy Chief Steven Dye said. Police first charged Andray with four counts of aggravated assault last week, then added the child abuse charges and nine additional aggravated assault charges Thursday, according to the Jackson County jail docket.

Andray was arrested last week after police said he opened fire with birdshot into the party at a home on Cumberland Road in Ocean Springs.

He initially posted bond but turned himself in Thursday after police added the additional charges, Dye said.

In victim interviews this week, Dye said police identified 16 people who were hit in the shooting, including three children. Police Chief Ryan Lemaire said last week that four people were hospitalized. Dye said Friday the hospitalized victims had since been released.

Police said Andray fired into the party with birdshot — small pellets delivered via shotgun shell. Birdshot is designed for hunting birds and other small animals, but can still be dangerous or even lethal to people at close range.

Andray has made no statement to police and a motive is unclear, Dye said. He said Ocean Springs Police had not uncovered past disputes between Andray and the neighbor and that Andray had no prior arrests.

The shooting was one of two instances of gunfire that have rattled Ocean Springs in recent weeks. In an unrelated shooting, authorities charged three men after a child custody exchange led to gunfire Monday evening in the parking lot of the Ocean Springs Police Department.

“We’re thankful no one was seriously injured,” Dye said of the two recent shootings. He said the department is still investigating both cases.

Andray is held in the Jackson County jail on a bond of $250,000 for each aggravated assault charge and $1 million for each child abuse charge, the docket shows.