Dakota Chaisson, 22, was fatally shot while attending a private party at the Toby Ward Event Hall on South Main Street in Jennings, Louisiana, on November 29, 2019. He suffered multiple gunshot wounds and was pronounced dead at the scene after attempts to revive him.

Jennings Police used nearby surveillance footage to identify suspects and witnesses, leading to eight arrests. A Jeff Davis Parish grand jury later dismissed charges against seven co-defendants but returned a true bill charging 19-year-old Jayden Grant Theunissen with second-degree murder. In July 2023 Theunissen pleaded no contest to an amended manslaughter charge and received a sentence that effectively leaves five years to serve with credit for time already served, followed by three years of supervised probation; the district attorney discussed the resolution with Chaisson’s family.

If anyone attended the Thanksgiving event at the Toby Ward Event Hall or has information about the shooting, please share what is remembered.