A teen boy who climbed into a Louisiana home by using a ladder to see a girl fatally shot her father shortly after he confronted him on Sunday morning, police said.
Authorities in Zachary, a small city about 20 miles north of Baton Rouge, are trying to determine what prompted an exchange of gunfire between the 17-year-old suspect and 34-year-old Dezmon Jerome Hamilton, Zachary Police Chief David McDavid said.
Hamilton, a well-known area businessman, died on scene in his living room and the teen was injured after shots were fired, McDavid said.
McDavid told NBC News on Thursday that the teen, who he did not name, and Hamilton shot at each other about 25 minutes after Hamilton caught the boy hiding in a closet and brought him downstairs to speak to him. The teen was there to see Hamilton’s 14-year-old daughter, McDavid said.
Hamilton was alerted of the boy in his home by a neighbor who saw the teen “going into the window,” McDavid said.
The boy remained hospitalized Thursday afternoon. McDavid said upon his release, he will be arrested and charged with second-degree murder, illegal use of a firearm and possession of a stolen firearm. He is expected to be charged in juvenile court, McDavid said.
The bloodshed occurred within the vicinity of three potential witnesses, although McDavid wasn’t sure what they saw or heard, he said. They were Hamilton’s daughter, the girl’s mother and the girl’s grandmother. Hamilton had called them to the home, McDavid said.
“It’s a tragic loss,” McDavid said. “We lost a good man who was an up-and-coming entrepreneur who was trying to make this community better.”
McDavid, who has worked for the city’s police for more than three decades, said he has known Hamilton and his mother for a long time, and even coached him in a church basketball league.
Relatives of the teen suspect were unable to be reached Thursday. It was unclear if he had an attorney. Hamilton’s family also did not respond to requests for comment.
Hamilton’s obituary said he was a lifelong resident of Zachary who was a supervisor at Exxon Lubrication-Port Allen, member of a Baptist church and owner of a yet-to-be opened business called “Sweet Corner.” He was also a father of four, the obituary said.
McDavid said Hamilton had recently purchased property near his home and planned to open a stand that sells shaved or crushed ice, commonly known as snowballs, and a car wash.
The investigation into the exact circumstances of the shooting is ongoing. Hamilton was shot at least once in the torso. Both Hamilton and the teen fired at each other with different guns, McDavid said, noting Hamilton had weapons at his home.
“Based on what we saw, based on the information and evidence, we suspect the juvenile shot first,” McDavid said.
He also said Hamilton’s daughter is believed to have let the boy into the home from a second-story window.
Investigators have been unable to speak to the suspect, McDavid said, since he had gone into surgery and was unconscious following the shooting.
Source: | This article originally belongs to Nbcnews.com
