Two Louisiana brothers have been fatally shot in what police described as a “senseless tragedy.”
Slidell Police Department (SPD) received multiple 911 calls reporting a shooting had taken place in the 3100 block of Terrace Avenue at about 11 a.m. on Saturday.
When officers arrived they found brothers Miguel and Kerry Doucette with gunshot wounds.
Police said one of the brothers died at the scene while the other was taken to a nearby hospital, where he later succumbed to his injuries.
Mario Andrew Scott, 41, also from Slidell, has been identified as the suspect in the double shooting.
An SPD spokesperson said in a Saturday Facebook post: “Shortly after the shooting, Scott fled the area, but was later located in Jefferson Parish.
“With the assistance of the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office and the FBI Gang Task Force, Scott was taken into custody without incident.”
A preliminary investigation found the Doucette brothers had confronted Scott about an earlier confrontation with their father.
Scott is then alleged to have opened fire on both of the brothers, ultimately killing them.
According to the Gun Violence Archive, a database that collects information about shootings from across the country, three people have been shot dead in the city since January 1 this year.
The same database found that 150 people had been fatally shot across the state since the start of this year.
Louisiana had the second-highest homicide death rate across the U.S. in 2020, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. There were 19.9 homicides for every 100,000 residents.
Scott has been charged with two counts of first-degree homicide and one count of felon in possession of a firearm.
SPD chief Randy Fandal said: “This is a senseless tragedy that never should have happened in our community.
“Hopefully, the victims’ family can find some peace knowing this killer is off our streets and behind bars. I’m proud of the effort of all those involved with this case. Multiple law enforcement agencies worked together, very quickly, to get this suspect in custody.”
He said the shootings were the first homicides in Sidell this year and that the SPD criminal investigations division is leading the investigation.
Another SPD statement shared on Facebook on Sunday added: “This incident is not what we want in our community, but the silver lining in all this is that everyone pulled together and cooperated to get this violent person behind bars.”
Newsweek has contacted the SPD for comment.
The post Brothers Shot Dead In ‘Senseless’ Double Homicide: Police appeared first on Newsweek.
