5-1-23
One person was killed and five others wounded in a drive-by shooting early Sunday in Lafayette. Police say unidentified people in a vehicle began shooting at people in another vehicle at around 3 a.m. just west of downtown Lafayette. Police arrived to find five people shot, one of whom later died. A sixth person with a gunshot wound later arrived at a hospital by private vehicle and was in critical condition.
An Acadiana teacher has been arrested after a video surfaced that appears to show him saying suggestive things to someone he says he tutors. Thirty-three-year-old Jacob de la Paz was arrested Thursday. and has been charged with the federal crime of enticing a minor to produce child pornography or child sexual assault material. De la Paz was a math teacher and track coach at St. Thomas More Catholic High School in Lafayette. Before that, he taught in Vermilion Parish schools from 2017 to 2022.
LOUISIANA PROSECUTORS HAVE, AT TIMES, REQUESTED AND BEEN GRANTED POSTCONVICTION DEALS TO REDUCE VERDICTS AND TRIM PRISON SENTENCES FOR VARIOUS REASONS. IN TWENTY-TWENTY-ONE, THE STATE LEGISLATURE PASSED A BILL GRANTING THAT POWER, BUT ATTORNEY GENERAL JEFF LANDRY BELIEVES IT IS UNCONSTITUTIONAL BECAUSE IT GRANTS JUDGES THE POWER OF CLEMENCY THAT IS RESERVED FOR THE GOVERNOR UNDER THE STATE CONSTITUTION. TOMORROW THE STATE SUPREME COURT WILL HEAR A CASE THAT CHALLENGES THAT LAW. THE CASE INVOLVES WILLIAM WAYNE LEE, WHO WAS CONVICTED OF MURDER IN SAINT TAMMANY PARISH BUT WAS GRANTED A REPRIEVE LAST YEAR BY THE DISTRICT ATTORNEY.
THE NATION IS STRUGGLING WITH A SHORTAGE OF VOLUNTEER FIREFIGHTERS AND IT’S AN ISSUE IN SOUTHWEST LOUISIANA AS WELL. HOUSTON RIVER FIRE CHIEF DEAN LAPPE TELLS KPLC TV THAT THE HEART OF THE VOLUNTEER IS NOT THERE ANYMORE IN THIS DAY AND AGE AND HE DOESN’T KNOW WHY THERE ARE NOT MANY LEFT WHO WANT TO SERVE THEIR COMMUNITY. WARD SIX FIRE CHIEF TODD PARKER SAYS HE BELIEVES THE PROBLEM IS THE ECONOMY AND PEOPLE NOT BEING WILLING TO WORK FOR FREE. IF YOU WANT TO VOLUNTEER AS A FIREFIGHTER, REACH OUT TO YOUR LOCAL FIRE DISTRICT.
LAFAYETTE POLICE ARE INVESTIGATING A DRIVE BY SHOOTING THAT HAPPENED SATURDAY EVENING. SYLVIA MASTERS REPORTS.
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A GUEYDAN MAN WAS KILLED LATE FRIDAY NIGHT IN A SINGLE VEHICLE CRASH IN ACADIA PARISH. STATE POLICE SAY FORTY-TWO-YEAR-OLD CHAD ANDREW BREAUX WAS TRAVELING NORTH ON L-A NINETY-ONE NEAR SANDPIPER ROAD WHEN HE WENT OFF THE ROADWAY INTO A DITCH, STRUCK A CULVERT AND OVERTURNED. BREAUX WAS NOT PROPERLY RESTRAINED AND WAS PARTIALLY EJECTED FROM THE VEHICLE. A TOXICOLOGY SAMPLE WAS TAKEN FOR ANALYSIS AND THE CRASH REMAINS UNDER INVESTIGATION.
LOUISIANA IS ONE OF FOUR STATES THAT REQUIRE JURIES THAT BEGIN DELIBERATIONS TO BE SEQUESTERED OR CONTINUE UNINTERRUPTED UNTIL THEY REACH A VERDICT. THE LOUISIANA HOUSE HAS PASSED A BILL ALLOWING JUDGES TO SEND DELIBERATING JURORS HOME. BACKERS OF THE BILL BY REPUBLICAN STATE REPRESENTATIVE RICHARD NELSON OF MANDEVILLE SAY IT ENSURES MORE VIGOROUS DELIBERATIONS AND FAIRER VERDICTS. THE VOTE FOR THE BILL WAS EIGHTY-SEVEN TO SEVENTEEN AND IT NOW GOES TO THE LOUISIANA SENATE.
DETECTIVES WITH THE IBERIA PARISH SHERIFF’S OFFICE HAVE MADE TWO ARRESTS IN CONNECTION WITH A SHOOTING THAT HAPPENED FRIDAY EVENING IN THE EIGHT HUNDRED BLOCK OF WEST END DRIVE IN NEW IBERIA. TWO PEOPLE WERE TRANSPORTED TO AN AREA HOSPITAL FOR TREATMENT. EIGHTEEN-YEAR-OLD DAMIEN JAMES HARDING JUNIOR AND A JUVENILE WERE ARRESTED AND EACH WERE CHARGED WITH TWO COUNTS OF ATTEMPTED FIRST-DEGREE MURDER, ILLEGAL USE OF A WEAPON AND AGGRAVATED CRIMINAL DAMAGE TO PROPERTY. THE ABBEVILLE POLICE DEPARTMENT AND THE VERMILLION PARISH SHERIFF’S OFFICE ASSISTED THE DETECTIVES IN IDENTIFYING THE SUSPECTS.
