Four U.S. Army soldiers stationed at Ft. Polk were arrested for a suspected gang-related drive-by shooting in Beauregard Parish, Louisiana on Monday. No injuries stemmed from the shooting, aside from one individual being cut by broken glass as they escaped the gunfire through a window.
In a press release on the event, local officials stated that shootings like this have “occurred frequently in the recent past.”
In this case, that claim holds more truth than others.
The same exact house that the four soldiers are accused of shooting at was also shot up by two juveniles. That shooting occurred only nine days earlier, on September 11.
Four Fort Polk soldiers were arrested after a drive-by shooting Sept. 20 in Louisiana. From left, down: Joshua D. Galloway VI, 24, Quazier T. Watterson, 19; Tavon M. Williams, 21; and Trevian J. Cherry, 23. (Photos courtesy of Beauregard Parish Sheriff’s Department)
Soldiers endangering the country they’ve sworn to protect
At around 11:25 on Monday, authorities responded to a report of shots fired on W. Eight Street in DeRidder, Louisiana. By the time police made it to the scene, none of the suspected shooters were around.
Witnesses provided a description of the vehicle that the four were shooting from. With that information in hand, the vehicle was located a little over 20-miles away, in Leesville, Louisiana.
Beauregard Parish Sheriff Mark Herford and DeRidder Police Chief Craig Richard, in their joint release on the incident, stated that they found a total of five weapons in car.
Even worse, there were spent shell casings in the vehicle matching those found at the scene.
Here is the release on the incident:
Joint press release by Sheriff Mark Herford and Police Chief Craig Richard. (Courtesy of DeRidder Police Department on Facebook)
A breakdown of the charges
The anticipated charges for each suspect is described below, alongside the individual they are attributed to.
Tavon M. Williams, 19, of Fort Polk: Criminal conspiracy to commit attempted armed robbery; aggravated assault with a firearm; illegal use of weapons or other dangerous instrumentalities; aggravated criminal damage to property.
Joshua D. Galloway VI, 24, of Fort Polk: Criminal conspiracy to commit attempted armed robbery; aggravated assault with a firearm; illegal use of weapons or other dangerous instrumentalities; aggravated criminal damage to property.
Trevian J. Cherry, 23, of Fort Polk: Criminal conspiracy to commit attempted armed robbery; aggravated assault with a firearm; illegal use of weapons or other dangerous instrumentalities; aggravated criminal damage to property.
Quazier T. Watterson, 19, of Fort Polk: Criminal conspiracy to commit attempted armed robbery; aggravated assault with a firearm; illegal use of weapons or other dangerous instrumentalities; aggravated criminal damage to property.
According to post spokesperson Shelby Waryas, all four soldiers are assigned to 3rd Brigade, 10th Mountain Division, at Fort Polk.
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