A 16-year-old has been charged as an adult after deputies say a juvenile was assaulted and then shot at during a drive-by outside Bridgewater Apartments in Brandon.
The Rankin County Sheriff’s Department said deputies were called around 2:26 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 19, 2025, to 500 Avalon Way for reports of a shooting. They found a juvenile male who had been the victim of a physical assault, and the target of gunfire moments later.
Investigators collected spent shell casings believed to have been fired from a silver four-door car as it fled. Surveillance video reviewed by deputies showed two assailants physically attacking the victim, then returning to the car, where a passenger fired multiple shots toward the juvenile as they drove off, according to the sheriff’s office.
Based on evidence at the scene and witness statements, investigators identified 16-year-old Xavior Balderas as a suspect. Around 8:31 p.m. Sunday, deputies executed a search warrant at Balderas’s home and recovered a face mask allegedly worn during the incident, along with clothing believed to have been used, officials said.
On Monday, Oct. 20, Balderas made his initial court appearance and was formally charged as an adult with Drive-By Shooting and Tampering with Physical Evidence.
The investigation is ongoing and additional arrests are possible, authorities said. No information on the victim’s medical condition was immediately released.
