71-Year-Old Suspect Allegedly Warned Witness After Opening Fire at AT&T Store, Leaving Two Dead

Samuel Jerome Andrews of Harrison County, Mississippi, has been charged with two counts of first-degree murder and one count of shooting into a crowd. The 71-year-old suspect is accused of opening fire inside an AT&T store in Gulfport, where 31-year-old employee Shane Basquill and 78-year-old customer Mary Anne Oberlies were fatally shot.

Authorities said the shooting occurred at around 11:14 a.m. on Monday, 7 September. Three other people were inside the store at Crossroads Mall when the gunfire erupted, but they survived. Andrews was later arrested after police spotted his vehicle leaving the area.

In a witness interview with WLOX, Carl Musgrove said he entered the store shortly after the shooting and was told, 'You gonna have to get out of here. I'm killing everything in here.' Musgrove added that Andrews had a 'calm' demeanour.

Witnesses Provide Their Accounts

Courtney Ladner was one of the customers inside the Gulfport AT&T store when the shooting occurred. She said she was there with another customer, Olivia Pratt, to buy new phones and that they were being assisted by an employee named Keesler 'Keekee' Brown.

Ladner said nothing appeared particularly unusual when she saw the 71-year-old suspect pull up outside the store in a truck.

She said in an interview, 'This older man pulled up on the sidewalk. And in my mind, I'm thinking maybe he can't walk that far. Maybe he's picking someone up.' Ladner recalled Brown saying, 'Oh, I'm scared,' before explaining, 'I think he's back.'

Other witnesses gave investigators accounts of how the shooting began. A witness told WLOX that Andrews allegedly pulled up near the store, exited his vehicle carrying a shotgun and approached the entrance. The witness said he fired through the front door before entering the business.

Witness Says Basquill Tried to Protect People Inside

Pratt said Shane Basquill became aware of the danger when his name was called after Andrews pulled a shotgun from his truck. Meanwhile, Ladner recalled Basquill running towards the front door in an apparent attempt to lock it, but the suspect began firing before he could reach it, resulting in his death.

As the suspect continued firing, Brown quickly opened a locked back door and instructed the customers to escape. Pratt said one round passed close enough to leave gunpowder residue on her shirt, while Ladner described being struck by shattered glass after a shot hit the rear door.

Police said Basquill and Oberlies were both pronounced dead at the scene. A shotgun was also recovered from the back of Andrews' truck after his arrest.

Andrews Arrested Minutes Later

Following the shooting, people inside the store called 911 and provided police with a description of Andrews and his vehicle. Officers later spotted the vehicle on Highway 49 and conducted a traffic stop.

Andrews was taken into custody without incident and transported to the Harrison County Adult Detention Center. He is being held without bond on the two murder charges, while a $500,000 bond was set for the charge of shooting into a crowd.

Police have not released a possible motive, and the investigation remains ongoing. Andrews has been accused of the killings and is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.