TANGIPAHOA PARISH, La. — A shootout in Northern Tangipahoa Parish has authorities on the hunt for two vehicles and the people responsible. Thankfully there are no reported injuries, but it certainly leaves some folks unsettled after stray bullets went flying through the neighborhood.
When Wilford McCray installed surveillance cameras on his Kentwood home, he never expected to see a shootout, involving two vehicles right next to his house. It happened when he and his family were sleeping late Monday night.
“All of a sudden, we heard shots,” said McCray.
When he checked his camera, he was in disbelief.
“Growing up here we didn’t see none of this going on and to say it’s right here in Kentwood, it’s sad,” said McCray
Tangipahoa Parish authorities believe the two vehicles were following each other, leading up to the shootout at the intersection of Eleventh Street and Avenue E. As a dark-colored car goes through the intersection, someone inside the light-colored SUV gets out with an assault rifle and starts shooting.
“These vehicles exchanged gunfire. There were .9mm shell casings and 223 shell casings found there by the intersection,” said Chief Jimmy Travis with the Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff’s Office. “One of the vehicles opened fire on the other vehicle with a .223. Very easily someone in that car could have been injured.”
Travis said stray bullets hit a detective’s unmarked truck parked at a nearby home. With busted windows and damage to the side, Travis says it could have been much worse.
“It can easily penetrate a home or a window and killed someone sleeping inside,” said Travis.
Like McCray’s family, who’ve lived in their house for two and a half years.
“My kids were asleep in the house and this happened right here on the corner. The bullet could have went in anyone’s house because he’s just shooting up the road,” said McCray.
Travis says this shooting is part of an ongoing problem in the Northern part of the parish with violent crimes, involving guns.
During the last year Travis says there have been several homicides and reports of shootouts and drive-bys.
Back in June a 19-year-old man from Kentwood was shot and killed in Bogalusa where authorities say he was hiding out because of rivalry between two rap groups in Tangipahoa Parish.
“We have been proactively working these areas trying to get as many guns as we can off the streets and out of the hands of criminals,” said Travis.
Back on McCray’s porch, he’s thankful his family is safe and glad he put up those cameras. He just hopes what happened in this video, doesn’t happen again.
“It’s a sad situation. It really is,” said McCray.
Authorities hope someone has information that can help them track down the people responsible for this shootout. If you know anything, please give the sheriff’s office a call.