A shooting on Grayson Avenue in Merrydale, Louisiana, left three people dead on the night of September 27, 2024. Sixty-two-year-old David Celestine and 40-year-old Shelita Vallery were pronounced dead at the scene; 63-year-old Paul Lewis was taken to a hospital and later died of his injuries. The violence reportedly followed an ongoing dispute that escalated into an argument and then into gunfire at the home of Vallery’s mother, where Celestine had been visiting.

Two 19-year-old men, Dominik Franklin and Tyrone Eackles, were identified and arrested. Both suffered non-life-threatening injuries during the incident and were treated at a hospital before being transferred to Parish Prison. Franklin was charged with three counts of first-degree murder; Eackles was charged with three counts of principal to first-degree murder and illegal use of a firearm. The community mourns the three victims remembered by family and friends.

If anyone has information about the events on Grayson Avenue that night or knew the victims, please share tips with the local authorities.