71-year-old man accused of killing customer, employee at AT&T store, police say

GULFPORT, Miss. (WLOX/Gray News) - A 71-year-old man in Gulfport is accused of killing two people at an AT&T store, according to authorities.

The shooting happened Monday around 11:14 a.m. inside the store at Crossroads Mall.

A witness at the scene told WLOX that they saw the suspect, identified as 71-year-old Samuel Jerome Andrews, pull up to the curb outside the store, get out of the vehicle with a shotgun and head toward the door.

A witness said Andrews shot through the door of the store before entering.

Police said Andrews entered the store and fired the gun, hitting 31-year-old Shane Basquill and 78-year-old Mary Anne Oberlies. Both victims died at the scene.

Officials said Basquill was a store employee and Oberlies was a customer.

Authorities said there were three other people in the store at the time of the shooting. Those who called 911 were able to give police a description of Andrews’ vehicle.

Andrews was taken to the Harrison County Adult Detention Center, where he is being held without bond on two counts of first-degree murder and a $500,000 bond for one count of shooting into a crowd.

The investigation is ongoing.