Suspects arrested in Louisiana after discovery of bound gunshot victim in Gulfport
New details were released about how Gulfport police found a person bound and with multiple gunshot wounds Thursday in the wounds off Old Highway 49.
The victim is in stable condition, and the suspects are in custody in Louisiana, police said.
It started in Vicksburg, continued in Gulfport and ended in Gonzales, Louisiana, where a spokeswoman for the Gonzales Police Department said eight people were detained.
According to the Vicksburg Post, the spokeswoman said officers were contacted Thursday by Gulfport police detectives about a manhunt related to a home invasion, the shooting of a current or former law enforcement officer in Vicksburg and home burglaries in the Gulfport area.
The Vicksburg Post identified the shooting victim as Mike Ouzts. His Facebook page says he is a former Warren County Sheriff’s deputy.
Gulfport police said they were contacted by a citizen who saw something strange and called the police about suspicious activity at 2:14 a.m. Thursday.
Officers arrived at the scene and located a vehicle reported stolen by Vicksburg police.
The officers were approached by a person later identified as Logan Delena, who fled on foot and is one of the suspects in custody in Gonzales.
Gulfport investigators contacted Vicksburg police, who said the vehicle was involved in a suspicious missing person case in their area.
Thursday afternoon police searched the wooded area near where the vehicle was found looking for more stolen items. Near Temple Baptist Church, they found the victim bound and shot.
The victim was transported to a local area hospital.
Through the investigation by the Harrison County Sheriff’s Office, Vicksburg police, Gulfport police and the Gonzalez Police Department in Louisiana, the suspects were found and taken into custody in Gonzales.
The suspects are facing charges in Gonzales resulting from their apprehension, according to the press release.
They then will be extradited back to Mississippi to face multiple felony charges out of Vicksburg, according to Gulfport Police.
