Man found with gunshot wound near Gulfport church identified as Vicksburg resident Mike Ouzts

Published 9:32 am Friday, January 27, 2023

The Vicksburg Police Department is part of an ongoing investigation after a man, identified as Mike Ouzts, was found with a gunshot wound near a church in Gulfport.

According to Ouzts’ Facebook page he is a former Warren County Sheriff’s deputy.

Gulfport police said Thursday afternoon that Ouzts, who was found near Temple Baptist Church on Old Highway 49, was in stable condition.

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According to The Sun Herald, Gulfport Police spokesman Sgt. Jason Ducre said it was not clear if Ouzts sustained the wounds at the church.

Late Thursday night, WLOX released further information about two arrests made in Gonzales, La., in connection with the case.

According to reports, multiple suspects were taken into custody at a Jack in the Box restaurant in Gonzales during a manhunt operation after fleeing from a house. Two of those suspects were wanted on warrants in Mississippi.

A spokeswoman for the Gonzales Police Department said a total of eight people were detained.

She said officers were contacted at approximately 5 p.m. by detectives with the Gulfport Police Department about a manhunt related to a home invasion and the shooting of a current or former law enforcement officer in Vicksburg and other home burglaries in the Gulfport area.

Officials said Gulfport police investigators are headed to Gonzales to assist in further investigation.

The Post has reached out to The Vicksburg Police Department, The Gonzales Police Department and the Gulfport Police Department for comment. This is a developing story.