Coroner identifies MS Coast teen killed in mass shooting at Ocean Springs restaurant
A Mississippi Coast teenager was identified as the victim who died in a mass shooting late Friday night at The Scratch Kitchen restaurant in downtown Ocean Springs.
Jackson County Deputy Coroner James Prisock said it appears Chayse Harmon died from a single gunshot wound. The 19-year-old was from Pascagoula.
Harmon and six others were shot at the Cinco de Mayo party at the restaurant’s patio, Ocean Springs Police Chief Mark Dunston told the Sun Herald.
The other victims were transported to an area hospital. The condition of the injured victims has not been released.
Brittany Alexander, the owner of Scratch Kitchen on Government Street, told the Sun Herald at the scene that Harmon was a patron at the restaurant’s party.
The alleged shooter, she said, climed over a wall to gain entry into the restaurant’s patio. Alexander said it appears the victim and the shooter knew each other, but that has not yet been confirmed by police.
According to a press release, the Ocean Springs Police Department currently has no suspects.
About 200 people attended the Scratch Kitchen’s party that had a DJ. One of the patrons told the Sun Herald she tried to give Harmon CPR after he fell to the ground.
This is the second mass shooting on the Mississippi Coast in less than a week. Two Hancock High students died after being shot at an after-prom party in Bay St. Louis. Four other teens were injured.
Sun Herald visual journalist Hannah Ruhoff contributed to this report.
