A brief burst of gunfire on the afternoon of May 29, 2026, began a sequence that ended with the death of 45-year-old William Hawkins Jr. in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The shooting occurred on Annette Street; wounded Hawkins and another person fled in a vehicle that was later found with multiple bullet holes at a Chevron station on Airline Highway and Evangeline Street, about half a mile from the initial scene.

Officers already at the gas station were flagged down and found both occupants suffering from gunshot wounds. Hawkins sustained a fatal injury and was pronounced dead at the scene; the other occupant was critically wounded and taken to a hospital. Baton Rouge Police detectives canvassed the Annette Street area and opened a homicide investigation but have not publicly identified suspects or a motive.

Anyone with information about the shooting on May 29 or who may have seen the bullet-riddled vehicle between Annette Street and Airline Highway is asked to come forward.