On February 7, 2016, a shooting two blocks from the Mardi Gras parade route in Pass Christian, Mississippi, turned a celebration into tragedy. Isiah Major III, 43, of Bay St. Louis, was killed along with 29-year-old Carlos Dewayne Bates of Gulfport when a confrontation between two groups erupted into gunfire shortly after the St. Paul Carnival Association parade ended.

Investigators say the violence began when Malcolm Dedeaux and three armed companions went looking for Charles Johnson, whom Dedeaux believed had fired at his family’s home earlier that day. An exchange of gunfire followed; Major and Bates were bystanders caught in the crossfire and were fatally wounded while other parade-goers were injured.

Authorities eventually arrested those involved. Malcolm Dedeaux pleaded guilty to two counts of manslaughter and received consecutive 20-year sentences for a total of 40 years. Jessie Lee Williams Jr., who was also implicated, pleaded guilty to two counts of manslaughter and was sentenced to 20 years. Did anyone in the community witness the confrontation near Davis Avenue or have information about what led to the shooting?