In the early morning hours of December 9, 2023, 47-year-old Reginald Howard of Natchitoches, Louisiana, was found with multiple gunshot wounds in the 500 block of Myrtle Drive. Officers responded about 2:06 a.m.; first aid was given but Howard was pronounced dead by the Natchitoches Parish Coroner’s Office.

Investigators identified and arrested 45-year-old Derrick Booker of Natchitoches in connection with the shooting. Booker was charged with Second Degree Murder and was taken into custody without incident; he was incarcerated at the Bossier Parish Maximum Security Jail. The Natchitoches Police Department says the investigation is ongoing.

Howard was active in the local school community as an assistant coach for the Captain Shreve Lady Gator track and field team and worked as an in-school suspension facilitator at the high school. Does anyone with knowledge of Howard’s activities that night or who witnessed anything on Myrtle Drive contact the Natchitoches Police Department with information?