Gerardette Burke, 53, of Lafayette, Louisiana, was killed by a stray bullet during a morning shooting at a motel on the Northeast Evangeline Thruway. The incident occurred at about 6:36 a.m. on Monday, September 29, 2025, when a man opened fire at another male in the motel area; Burke was not the intended target. She was taken to a local hospital and died of her injuries. The intended male victim was also wounded and hospitalized in stable condition.

Investigators with the Lafayette Police Department, assisted by the U.S. Marshals Task Force and the Special Investigations Unit, identified 23-year-old Challis Prejean of Lafayette as the alleged shooter. He was arrested without incident and booked into the Lafayette Parish Correctional Center. Prejean faces charges including first-degree murder in Burke’s death, attempted first-degree murder for the other victim, illegal discharge of a weapon, and being a felon in possession of a firearm; he is being held without bond.

Who in the area might have seen activity around the motel that morning or has information about this shooting?