THIBODAUX, La. — Police and community members in Thibodaux say a family event turned deadly Friday night.
24-year-old Alvin Turner and 70-year-old Linda Johnson were shot and killed as they both attended a birthday party and repast.
"It was her niece, that they just had buried," said Deborah Smith.
Thibodaux Police said they were called to the event hall at around 7:30 and found Turner and Johnson dead
From investigation, police learned that the fatal shooting started with a verbal argument between Turner and a 26-year-old Terrione Thomas.
"The suspect then left, from what we understand, went and grabbed a firearm, returned to the scene and then opened fire," said Lt. Clint Dempster, Thibodaux Police.
According to police, Thomas' brother Timothy, drove him from the scene. Later that night he was picked up by Lafourche deputies and charged with one count of Accessory After the Fact of Second Degree Murder.
Police say they don't believe Turner and Johnson are related and that the 70-year-old may have been caught in the crossfire of an escalated argument.
"A bullet don't have no name on it and sometimes things happen," said Deborah Smith.
Smith said she knew Johnson for years and that in a small town like Thibodaux, she knows that everyone is hurting.
"Linda was a sweet person, she was well known and I feel for both sides of the family not just one, the young man and the lady who got killed," said Smith.
In Thibodaux, shootings like this are not common. Police report that there was only one homicide in 2021 and none in 2020.
"It's unfortunate. This is definitely not something that happens a whole whole lot. We going to stay prayed up, we going to get through this here because Lafourche Parish, Thibodaux, we're resilient, we're going to bounce back," said Smith.