The police shooting of Jaheim McMillan in Gulfport, MS, has left the community shattered and wanting answers. The Shade Room exclusively spoke to an eyewitness who was inside the Family Dollar store when police shot the 15-year-old in hopes of shedding light on what happened.
An eye witness, who wishes to remain anonymous, alleges McMillan had his hands up and was “scared out of his mind” when he was shot by police.
Eye Witness Says Teen Allegedly Had Hands Up
H[is] hands were all the way up. He was scared out of his mind.
The witness continued to say:
From where I was standing, I looked up, and Jaheim was moving in a slow motion by the door of the store; then boom, I saw at least five shots go towards this boy’s direction.
Continuing to detail what happened inside of the store, the witness said:
The bullets were hitting all of the store windows and door, and it caught everybody’s attention. I just saw his body drop, and my heart just broke.
The witness also says they didn’t see a weapon on McMillan at the time of the shooting, which supports another eye witness’s account who also said she didn’t see a weapon on McMillan at the time of the shooting.
He was unarmed from every spot that I saw on him. They continued saying, It was traumatizing knowing that was a child.
Our source also told us that McMillan was “handcuffed after he was shot” by police.
Events That Led Up To The Shooting
According to court documents obtained by WLOX, Jaheim McMillan and four other teens were approached by a police officer on Thursday, October 6th, after a call came in and stated a Kia Soul was driving recklessly, rolled down their window, and was “flipping them off.”
The documents also state that “the caller and his passenger said they saw the right rear passenger in the Kia Soul brandished a firearm” at a red light and also put on a “camouflage ski mask” and pointed a gun at them. Eventually, the caller was able to lose the Kia Soul.
Shortly after, police spotted a Kia Soul that matched the description made by the caller in the parking lot of a Family Dollar.
According to police, an officer approached an “armed” suspect, McMillan, which led to shots fired by the officer. McMillan was shot in the head and rushed to Memorial Hospital, where he was later pronounced dead.
It’s also reported by witnesses that officers failed to render first aid to McMillan as he was lying on the ground bleeding, waiting on the ambulance.
Other Teens Arrested & Charged
The four friends with McMillan were arrested and charged with two counts of aggravated assault and a bond of $500,000. It’s also reported that guns were confiscated as well.
The Mississippi Bureau of Investigation is investigating the shooting, and the officer was placed on “non-enforcement duties pending results of that investigation.”
Roomies, we’ll keep you updated.
