GULFPORT, MS (WLOX) - It was chaos outside a coast casino early Monday morning as a murder suspect kept Gulfport police and federal marshals at bay by pointing a gun to his head.
The Hattiesburg murder suspect ended up in the Island View Casino parking lot 6 hours after Brittany Morgan was killed.
Those who knew her said she was a wonderful young woman in a bad relationship.
Those who knew and loved Brittany Morgan said the 20 year old spread a lot of joy with her beautiful smile.
Brian Dace, her cousin, said she was "A very spirited person, loved to have fun, very social person, no matter what or when or where you saw her, she always had a smile on her face."
Dace got the terrible news just hours after Brittany's murder. Police say they believe her boyfriend, 35-year-old Anthony Rico Gipson, beat and stabbed her to death.
According to Dace, "It wasn't hard to see that he was a very controlling person."
Brittany's cousin never met Gipson, but said the boyfriend's controlling nature became apparent during a phone call he had with Brittany one day.
Dace explains, "I remember him being in the background, being very aggressive, making her get off the phone and that sort of thing, so I knew that there was some kind of aggression in their relationship."
But no one knows what led to the brutal attack. Hattiesburg police said Rico Gipson was their suspect immediately. So they called U.S. Marshals in Gulfport, after learning he has ties to the Coast. By 3 am, U.S. Marshal's spotted the 6 foot 7 inch tall suspect with 2 friends in the parking lot of Gulfport's Island View Casino. Marshals said when they yelled out his name, Gipson put a gun to his head.
Justin Vickers of the U.S. Marshal's Service in Gulfport said, "It's a great concern. The guy is wanted for murder and he's holding a gun in his hand, so he's obviously a danger to us as well as to himself. So it is very tense and stressful, so fortunately, this one resolved peacefully."
The standoff lasted just 30 minutes. But the pain of this crime, for those who loved Brittany, will last a lifetime. Dace said one of the things he'll miss most is her contagious laugh.
"It was unique, it was Brittany. It was Brittany, a very nice girl."
Brian Dace and his production company set up a memorial site. Go to dacepromotions.vpweb.com
There you can leave condolences for Brittany Morgan's family. Also in Brittany's memory, Dace set up a free "help" line for abused women through his church Trinity Baptist. That number is 228-574-8236.
1 comment:
THIS IS SO SAD AND UNECCESARY SHE WAS A BEAUTIFUL WOMAN WHO HAD SO MUCH GOING FOR HERSELF AND MY PRAYERS GO OUT TO HER FAMILY AND FRIENDS AND I WILL ALSO PRAY THAT THE DOG!WHO DID THIS TO THIS BEAUTIFUL YOUNG LADY BURNS IN HELL! WHAT GIVES YOU THE RIGHT TO TAKE SOMEBODY LIFE IT'S SAD AND IT MAKES YOU ANGRY AT THAT SAME TIME HE DESERVES TO DIE!
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