Vehicle of Scarlet Pearl shooting suspect seen in Mobile

D’IBERVILLE, Miss. (WLOX) - The man shot and killed in the Scarlet Pearl parking lot early Wednesday morning has now been identified, and police are actively searching for the suspect’s vehicle.

D’Iberville Police are alerting the public to be on the lookout for the suspect vehicle, possibly a dark blue Nissan Altima, two-door, older model. The car was reported stolen and is missing a rear bumper and has a switched Alabama tag (2CW6059).

D’Iberville Police Chief Shannon Nobles told WLOX the suspect’s car has been spotted back in Mobile. Investigators are working on some leads tied to the car and are working closely with Mobile police to locate the car and the murder suspect.

If you have seen this vehicle, report it immediately to law enforcement. The number for D’Iberville Police is 228-396-4252.

D’Iberville Police responded to the parking lot after a shooting around 2 a.m. There, they found 36-year-old Nicholaus Craig dead in his car, according to Harrison County Coroner Brian Switzer.

The coroner tells us Craig lives in California but is originally from Mobile. Switzer learned Craig was heading home this week to see his mom and celebrate his birthday, which was just yesterday- September 20. Before reaching Mobile, Craig and his girlfriend rented a room at Scarlet Pearl, according to Craig’s mother. This is where he spent his 36th birthday.

Craig and his girlfriend ate dinner at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Tuesday night before heading back to the Scarlet Pearl. According to Craig’s girlfriend, the parking lot was full when they got back, so they had to park near the back.

She says later on in the night, around 2 a.m., Craig was having trouble sleeping due to his recent back surgery and decided to go down to his car. She says he was considering going for a ride. While sitting in his car, someone shot and killed him.

He died from a single gunshot wound. The autopsy will take place Thursday.

We reached out to Scarlet Pearl for comment. Here’s what they said:

“Our thoughts are with the families impacted by this incident. And we have no further comment until the D’Iberville Police Department completes their investigation.”

If you have any other information about this incident, please report it to D’Iberville Police at 228-396-4252 or Mississippi Coast Crime Stoppers at 877-787-5898.

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