Colorado man accused of murdering Mississippi teen also shot car that held his own baby, police say

Published 9:47 pm Wednesday, December 29, 2021

A Mississippi homicide suspect faces additional charges after police say he shot into a car that held his baby daughter.

Johnte Vidal Pouerie, 21, of Greely, Colorado, and an unnamed 14-year-old are each charged with one count of felony homicide in the Dec. 17 death of 16-year-old Lazairus Smith of Gulfport.

Pouerie was being held on a $1 million bond. But his bond was increased to $1.15 million after he appeared Wednesday in Harrison County Justice Court where he also was charged with two counts of aggravated domestic violence and one count of aggravated assault, The Sun Herald reported.

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Documents introduced in court accuse Pouerie of shooting at a Dodge Charger in which his daughter was riding on Dec. 10.

According to the records, the child’s mother told Pouerie she was going to dinner and he brought the child to her apartment in Gulfport, saying the child should go with her mom. The mother told police that she saw Pouerie in the parking lot as she rode away in a Dodge Charger driven by a male acquaintance.

They stopped to secure the child in a car seat and the mother returned to her seat in a hurry. She told police she saw Pouerie running toward them. The man driving said he heard Pouerie yell, “My baby better not be in that car.”

As the he sped away, he heard multiple gunshots, according to court records. Police found five bullet holes in the car and multiple shell casings in the parking lot.

No injuries were reported.