Mississippi man sentenced to 37 years for killing friend in parking lot of Gulfport bar

A man who shot a friend at a Gulfport restaurant then asked the bartender to call 911 will spend the next 37 years in prison.

Antonio Jamar James, 24, of Columbia, Mississippi, pleaded guilty to second-degree murder for the death of Deontravies Williamson.

The shooting happened at Skeeter’s Bar & Grill February 7, 2021 at around 11:35 p.m. The restaurant’s video surveillance of the parking lot and indoors established what happened.

James, his brother and Williamson arrived in the same car. Williamson and James’ brother got out of the car and started arguing.

“Video surveillance showed the brother push and then punch the victim in the parking lot. At the same time, the defendant is seen exiting the vehicle with a handgun,” said Assistant District Attorney Matthew D. Burrell, who prosecuted the case.

James stepped between his brother and Williamson and shot the victim in the face, according to Gulfport Police investigators.

After asking the bartender to call 911, James and his brother left the restaurant without ever trying to assist the victim.

U.S. Marshals later arrested James and his brother in Marion County, charging James with murder and his brother with accessory to murder after the fact.

“The defendant’s brother was arrested for assisting the defendant in leaving the scene, and he previously entered a guilty plea to accessory after the fact to murder and is currently pending sentencing,” Burrell said.

During the plea and the sentencing, the defendant apologized for his actions, according to a release from the district attorney’s office. He told the court he thought the victim had a gun and was going to use it on his brother, so he shot the victim.

Judge Lisa Dodson told the defendant his decision to use a gun in a fight changed the lives of two families. The Judge then sentenced the defendant to a total of 40 years in the custody of the Mississippi Department of Corrections and suspended three years, leaving 37 years to serve.

“Unfortunately, this is another senseless killing where a 21-year-old is dead and another 22- year-old [at the time of the incident] will spend the next 37 years of his life in prison with no probation or parole,” said District Attorney Crosby Parker. “From all indications, these two individuals were friends, and the defendant’s knee-jerk, in the moment, reaction leaves two families without their sons. Nothing was gained and everything was lost.”