A late-January shooting in River Ridge turned fatal when Garland Gregory McDowell, a 28-year-old African American man, was shot on Newton Street on January 31, 2018. McDowell was found with at least one gunshot wound and was taken to University Hospital, where he was pronounced dead. The incident was a double shooting; a 34-year-old man, Patrick Lebranch, was wounded in the leg and survived.

The Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office investigated the case and made public appeals for information, but no suspects have been publicly identified and no arrests have been announced. The investigation is described as open but has grown cold over time. Little is publicly known about a motive or the circumstances that led to the shooting.

If anyone witnessed the January 31, 2018 shooting on the 1100 block of Newton Street or has information that could help Garland McDowell’s family and investigators, please come forward.