Jackson Man Sentenced for Northbay Drive-by Shooting

Madison and Rankin Counties’ District Attorney Bubba Bramlett announced today that Roman Cortez Hines, 38, of Ridgeland, Mississippi pled guilty to the crime of drive-by shooting in Madison County Circuit Court and was sentenced to serve a term of fifteen years in the custody of the Mississippi Department of Corrections.

On July 11, 2024 Madison Police Department responded to a call in the Northbay subdivision. On scene, officers located one .223 caliber shell casing . Surveillance footage from the victim’s home showed a man on a motorcycle drive past the home and fire multiple times at the house. Officers were able to isolate a picture of the distinctive jacket the man was wearing. They then tracked the jacket to a manufacturer in Canada who was able to provide a purchase list of everyone in Mississippi who had purchased from the store. The Defendant was one of only 22 customers from Mississippi, and records showed he had purchased the particular jacket seen on the surveillance tapes. Investigators also determined he owned a motorcycle matching the one seen in surveillance tapes. Registration records showed Hines also owned a black van that can be seen on both surveillance tapes and license plate readers driving in the area of the victim’s home on multiple occasions.

Law enforcement then performed a search on Hines’s home and located the jacket and the motorcycle. Hines was found to be in possession of a rifle that the Mississippi Crime Lab determined was consistent with the .223 shell casing found on scene. Investigators also obtained the Defendant’s cell phone which showed him searching for the male resident of the house in question and making notes regarding the address.

District Attorney Bubba Bramlett stated, “This is a case that was solved by the hard work and dedication of the Madison Police Department. To identify a suspect through an article of clothing that was manufactured in another country and then use that lead to build a solid case resulting in a guilty plea is what makes the city of Madison one of the safest towns in this state. We hope this guilty plea and sentence will bring back that sense of safety to the victims and the other residents of Northbay. Let this also be a lesson to potential criminals – gun violence is never the answer, and my office will seek prison for those who shoot weapons in our counties.”

Defendant:

Name: Roman Cortez Hines

DOB: 04/19/1986

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