The man who was convicted of manslaughter in relation to a 2021 fatal shooting at a Hattiesburg hotel has been sentenced to 20 years in prison for his participation in the crime.
Lin Carter, who serves as district attorney for Forrest and Perry counties, recently announced that 23-year-old Trenderrious Lavontay Brock pleaded guilty to the charge on March 24 in Forrest County Circuit Court. Brock is currently being held in the Forrest County Correctional Facility.
The shooting occurred on November 8, 2021, in the parking lot of the Holiday Inn at 6553 U.S. 49. Officers were dispatched to the location, where they discovered a deceased male in a vehicle.
The man, who was later identified as Carlos McGruder, had been shot multiple times and was pronounced dead at the scene.
During the subsequent investigation, officers learned that Brock and a woman named Keeairah Lewis had checked into the hotel the day before, and Lewis was using the room for prostitution. On the day of the shooting, Lewis continued to see different “clients” in the room while Brock and a man named Juan Cole waited in Cole’s vehicle in the parking lot.
While Brock and Cole sat in the car, one of Lewis’ clients allegedly beat and robbed her inside the hotel room and fled the scene. Lewis called Cole and informed him of that incident, at which point Cole and Brock exited the vehicle and began looking for the robber.
Cole brought a pistol into the lobby of the hotel looking for the man, while Brock – who was unarmed – continued to search the parking lot. During this time, Brock saw a vehicle driven by McGruder backing out of a parking spot.
Brock called Cole, who ran out of the hotel lobby into the parking lot, where he began firing his weapon into McGruder’s car. McGruder – who had nothing to do with the robbery – was fatally struck several times by the gunfire; his car then crashed into an adjacent building.
Cole, Lewis and Brock immediately left the scene.
Brock turned himself into authorities several days later, on November 23, 2021. During an initial court appearance, his bond was set at $250,000.
Police are still searching for Cole and Lewis.
All three suspects were later indicted by a grand jury for their participation in the crime. Cole was indicted on a charge of 1st degree murder, while Lewis was indicted for accessory after the fact to murder.
“This was a senseless and horrific crime,” Carter said in a statement. “Mr. McGruder did nothing wrong, and this case of mistaken identity led to him being brutally murdered.
“I feel for the family of Mr. McGruder and hope this measure of justice may bring them some small sense of peace as they move forward. However, we really want the shooter, Juan Cole, in custody so he can be held accountable.”
Anyone with knowledge of the whereabouts of Cole and/or Lewis is asked to call any law enforcement agency as soon as possible. Hattiesburg Police Department can be reached at (601) 544-7900, and Metro Crime Stoppers can be reached at (601) 582-7867.
Assistant D.A. Bryan Buckley is handling prosecution for the case.
