On a Thursday morning in Baton Rouge, the quiet of January 10, 2019, was broken by the sound of gunfire. At around 10:13 a.m., in the 4400 block of Evangeline Street, Michael Richard, a 32-year-old Black man, was shot and killed. The neighborhood, known as Delmont Place, is an area of older, well-established single-family homes and small apartment buildings, a community of low-income families and a mix of renters and homeowners. When the Baton Rouge Police Department arrived at the scene near Beechwood Drive, they found Michael inside his vehicle, having been shot while sitting in his car.
Michael Tyrone Richard Sr., a native of Baton Rouge, was known as a family man. He was the husband of Jessica Richard and a father to three children: Mila Richard, Jade Green, and Michael Richard, Jr. His family also included his mother, Linda Richard-Roseburr, his father, Micheal Murray, his grandmother, Luviller Richard, and a sister, Irvinika Richard.
He was remembered by those who loved him in a service held at the Winnfield Funeral Home later that month, a celebration of a life cut short. He was then laid to rest at Winnfield Memorial Park.
The investigation into Michael's death was handled by the Baton Rouge Police Department's Violent Crimes Unit. In the immediate aftermath, detectives canvassed the area, speaking to potential witnesses and searching for any information that might lead to a suspect. However, from the outset, the case proved to be a difficult one. Law enforcement officials announced that they had no known suspects and no clear motive for the shooting. The department urged anyone with information to come forward and contact the Violent Crimes Unit or Crime Stoppers, a program that allows citizens to provide anonymous tips.
In the years that have followed, Michael Richard’s case has grown cold. There have been no public announcements of arrests or significant breakthroughs in the investigation. His death is one of many that remain unresolved in Louisiana's capital city. In 2019 alone, there were 97 homicides recorded in East Baton Rouge Parish. The Baton Rouge Police Department faces the challenge of a substantial number of unsolved cases, with a homicide clearance rate that in recent years has been below the national average.
The questions surrounding that January morning on Evangeline Street remain unanswered. The identity of the person who pulled the trigger and their reasons for doing so are still a mystery. Michael Richard’s family has been left to navigate their grief without the closure of knowing who was responsible for his death. His case now rests among the hundreds of other cold cases in Baton Rouge, a somber testament to the violence that has taken so many lives and left families waiting for justice that may never come.
