A social-media arrangement for a dirt bike ended in a fatal shooting on the evening of July 22, 2025, in the 3700 block of Cathedral Drive near Wyandotte Street in Baton Rouge. Melique Etienne, 22, went to the meeting with an alleged accomplice and, according to police, approached the sellers wearing a ski mask and armed. The sellers were asked to unfasten the bike from a trailer; one of the sellers moved the bike and Etienne mounted behind him. When the dirt bike failed to start, Etienne reportedly threatened to shoot, and one of the sellers — who was also armed — then fired. First responders found Etienne with multiple gunshot wounds; he died at the scene around 6:30 p.m.

Police say the alleged buyer, identified as 18-year-old Markle Burris Jr., fled after the shooting and was later located following an anonymous tip. Baton Rouge Police Homicide detectives arrested Burris and booked him into East Baton Rouge Parish Prison on charges that include second-degree murder and attempted armed robbery with a firearm; the investigation remains ongoing.

If anyone was in that area that evening or has information about the meeting or the dirt bike sale, please share what was seen or heard.