Harlan Kirgan
A second 17-year-old, Brycelyn Ray Anderson, has been arrested for attempted second-degree murder in connection with a June 6 shooting.
Eunice Police along with Louisiana State Police executed a search warrant at a residence in the 500 block of South Mallet Street at about 5 a.m. Monday to serve an arrest warrant on Anderson.
The arrest warrant is for the attempted second-degree murder of Travis Mitchell, 30, a victim of a shooting in front of 511 S. Mallet St., Eunice Police Chief Randy Fontenot said in a news release.
Also caught up in the search was Germario Joseph, 19, of 511 S. Mallet St., for the charge of possession of marijuana. Joseph was found with marijuana during the search, Fontenot said.
In the June 6 incident, Mitchell was shot three times and has since been released from a hospital.
Mitchell’s brother, Clarence, 29, also a victim in the same shooting, remains in the hospital, Fontenot said.
Travis and Clarence Mitchell are relatives of a 7-year-old who was caught up in gun fire on East Maple Avenue at about 7:30 p.m. June 6, Fontenot said.
Jamie Ned, 17, also known as Jamie Freeman, of North Cane Street, Eunice, is accused of wounding the 7-year-old boy near Golden Seafood on East Maple Avenue.
Ned was charged with five counts of attempted first-degree murder.
The boy was hit by a stray bullet, police said.
The second shooting occurred about two hours later.
“Our belief is that when they found out, because of the timing and everything, when they found out this 7-year-old nephew had been shot they went out in search of the shooter,” Fontenot said.
“They found the shooter and they also became his victims. They tried to take the law into their hands instead of letting us handle it. It turned bad. They nearly lost their lives doing it,” he said.
Fontenot said the men were not in their vehicle when they were wounded. Fontenot also said they were not armed.
In the first shooting, the targets were Dustin “Goldmouth” Johnson and Christie Cortina Johnson, Fontenot said. The are both in their 20s, he said
Neither were injured, he said.
Another shooting occurred on June 13 in what Fontenot has described as running gun battle from about La. 13 and Maple Avenue to Perrotti and Ulysse and possibly other locations.
A black Dodge Charger was found with nine bullet holes in it, Fontenot said
Two people were held and released in connection with the shooting that police believe was a continuation of the June 6 shooting.
“We recovered some of the bullets and at the scene where we located the car we recovered some spent casings that don’t match the bullets we found,” Fontenot said. “To me it appears gunfire was going both ways. We don’t have the other vehicle and it appears gun fire was going both ways.”
The father of the 7-year-old shot on June 6 was at the residence where the car was found June 13 after the shooting that occurred about 5:30 a.m.
“I don’t think this is over,” Fontenot said.
“They are shooting at each other running down the street, that puts everybody in danger of stray bullets,” he said.
Fontenot believes adults and drugs are behind the shootings.
“They are getting these kids to do their dirty work,” he said.
In Monday’s news release, Fontenot said, “This is only the beginning of the police department’s efforts to end the criminal activities of the few in Eunice who are disrupting the normal peace and quiet of our streets.”
He added, “We are determined to take back our streets and keep our citizens safe. Those of you who are determined to disturb our peace are being warned, we have only begun today.”