19-year-old Mississippi man charged in shooting at house party that killed 2 teens, injured 4 others

Published 2:28 pm Sunday, April 30, 2023

Police have charged a 19-year-old man with killing two teens and wounding four others in an early Sunday shooting at a house party on the Mississippi Gulf Coast.

Cameron Everest Brand of Pass Christian is charged with murder and aggravated assault, jail records show. Bay St. Louis Police Chief Toby Schwartz said in a news release that police identified Brand as the sole shooter through witness and victim statements.

Bay St. Louis is about 15 miles west of Gulfport.

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Hancock County Coroner Jeff Hair told The Associated Press that two teens had died, but said Sunday morning he was not yet prepared to release their identities.

Brand was arrested at his home in neighboring Pass Christian and taken to jail, Schwartz said. Bay St. Louis Municipal Court Judge Stephen Maggio denied Brand bail. It’s unclear if Brand has a lawyer to speak for him.

All six students suffered gunshot wounds and were taken to area hospitals, some by helicopter. Police said an 18-year-old and a 16-year-old died of their injuries at a hospital in New Orleans.

Two of the victims are students at Bay High School in Bay St. Louis. Four of the students attend nearby Hancock High School.

The shootings happened at a house on a sparsely populated road less than a mile from the Hollywood Casino.