GULFPORT, Miss — The Gulfport community is still pushing for the Police Department to give them answers following the shooting death of a teenager, Jaheim McMillian's death.
A town hall was held in Gulfport for the community members and Jaheim's family to gather to ask questions and rally together to continue this fight. The event was organized by several advocacy groups. There was no city official or member of law enforcement in attendance.
Jaheim was shot and killed outside the Family Dollar on Pass Road last October. The 15-year-old was shot in the head during a shooting involving Gulfport police. At the time Police Chief Adam Cooper said the department received reports of people pointing guns at passing cars.
“We should’ve known in less than 20 days who the officer was that killed Jaheim McMillian. We should not be sitting here today in Gulfport Mississippi wondering who killed Jaheim,” One speaker at the town hall said.
Gary Fredericks, President of the Gulfport NAACP branch says the people of Gulfport need to fight together.
“So we have to be engaged in a partnership, we can't point fingers and hold other people accountable when we don’t hold ourselves accountable, so it takes all actors in this," Fredericks said. “Any loss or death of youth is tragic and it’s a wake-up call for all of us. We have got to get engaged, we have to be respectful of one another and we have to support our parents.”
Marquell Bridges, a local activist is asking why it took the Memphis Police Department no more than 20 days to take action when it came to Tyre Nichols, but it's taking the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation, who’s handling this case, months.
“The overall agenda here is what it's been from the beginning, transparency and to incur more community involvement,” Bridges said. “Memphis just gave us the blueprint, which is 20 days, so anything outside of 20 days of transparency we are going to do everything we have to do get justice."
On Wednesday, February 1st, Jaheim would’ve celebrated his 16th birthday.
A makeshift memorial outside the Family Dollar, a reminder to city leaders and his community, that his family is still waiting for answers.
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