A New Year’s Eve party in Gulfport, Mississippi, ended in a mass shooting just before midnight on December 31, 2021. The gathering at a residence on Lewis Avenue drew more than 100 people. A fistfight between 22-year-old Aubrey Lewis of Bay St. Louis and another man, Corey Dubose, spilled onto a car owned by Sedrick McCord. McCord fired a pistol into the air, and both Lewis and Dubose then drew firearms and shot each other. The exchange quickly escalated into a larger gun battle with multiple people firing into the crowd; when it ended, over 100 spent shell casings from handguns and assault rifles were found at the scene.

Lewis was fatally wounded in the shootout. Three other men — Corey Dubose, Sedrick McCord and 52-year-old Nathaniel Harris — also died, and three people suffered non-life-threatening injuries. Investigators said alcohol, drugs and pre-existing tensions among groups at the party contributed to the violence. Witness cooperation was limited early in the probe, but Gulfport police later arrested several people connected to the incident.

Several defendants later entered guilty pleas to charges arising from the shooting, including manslaughter, mayhem, unlawful possession by a felon and hindering prosecution, with a range of prison terms and probation. Is there anyone who knew Aubrey Lewis or who was at the party who can help fill in what happened that night?