Survivors say workers tried to protect customers as memorials honor two people killed during the Labor Day attack.
GULFPORT, Miss. — Witnesses to a deadly shooting inside a Gulfport AT&T store say employees rushed to protect customers as gunfire erupted, while the community has begun mourning the worker and customer who were killed.
Shane Basquill, a 31-year-old store employee from Kiln, and Mary Anne Oberlies, a 78-year-old Gulfport customer, died in the Sept. 7 shooting at the Crossroads Mall store, according to Harrison County Coroner Brian Switzer. Gulfport police have arrested 71-year-old Samuel Jerome Andrews of Harrison County in connection with the shooting.
Two customers, Courtney Ladner and Olivia Pratt, told WLOX they had gone to the store to buy new phones when they noticed a man pull up near the business. They said store employees became concerned as the man approached, and Basquill moved toward the front entrance in an apparent effort to secure the door.
Ladner said Basquill ran toward the entrance after someone called his name, but gunfire began before he could reach the door. Witnesses said shots were fired through the front of the business before the gunman entered. Police said Basquill and Oberlies were struck and died at the scene.
At the rear of the store, employee Keesler Brown helped customers reach another exit, according to Ladner and Pratt. The women said Brown opened a locked back door and urged people to run outside as shots continued. Ladner and Pratt escaped and later publicly thanked Brown and Basquill for their actions during the attack.
The witnesses said they believed Basquill was trying to protect the people inside when he moved toward the front door. Their accounts have led friends and customers to remember the employee for his actions during the shooting, although authorities have not released a complete official reconstruction of everything that happened inside the store.
Police said three other people were inside the business when the shooting occurred around 11:14 a.m. Callers gave dispatchers a description of the suspect’s vehicle, helping officers locate it shortly afterward. Officers stopped the vehicle on Highway 49 and arrested Andrews without incident. Police said a shotgun was recovered.
Andrews is charged with two counts of first-degree murder and one count of shooting into a crowd. Authorities said he was being held without bond on the murder charges and under a $500,000 bond on the additional charge. Police have not announced a motive, and the allegations against Andrews have not been adjudicated.
Signs of mourning appeared outside the AT&T store in the days after the shooting, with flowers and balloons placed near the business. The store at 15243 Crossroads Parkway was expected to remain closed through Friday.
Oberlies was also remembered Tuesday night during a public prayer service at St. James Catholic Church in Gulfport. She had been a longtime administrative assistant in the Gulfport School District and was an active member of St. James Parish. Father Ryan McCoy said the gathering was held to pray for Oberlies and for peace and safety in the community.
The police investigation remains active as Gulfport residents remember the two people killed and witnesses continue processing what happened inside the store. Authorities have not publicly identified a motive or explained whether the suspect had any known connection to the victims.
Author note: Last updated September 9, 2026.