A Christmas weekend hunting trip in Baton Rouge ended in tragedy on December 23, 2023, when 34-year-old Jacob Altazan was fatally shot while deer hunting off Scenic Highway. Police were called about 4:20 p.m. and found Altazan had died from his injuries. The shooter was identified as 54-year-old Thomas Franklin, a member of the hunting party, who told investigators he had mistaken Altazan for a deer and accidentally shot him. Franklin was arrested by the Baton Rouge Police Department on a negligent homicide charge and booked into the East Baton Rouge Parish Prison; he posted a $10,000 bond and was released on Christmas Day.

Investigators encountered conflicting accounts about hunter safety gear: Franklin said none of the group were wearing hunter’s orange vests, while a friend of Altazan’s, David Doucet, provided footage that appeared to show Altazan wearing orange about an hour before the shooting. A third hunter reported hearing a shot and then screaming, and said Franklin told him the gun accidentally went off and that Altazan was dead. The case was presented to an East Baton Rouge Parish grand jury; as of their decision in August 2024 the grand jury declined to indict, and the death is still unsolved.

Is there anyone who knew Jacob or was on that hunting land who can add details about what happened that day?