When Is Enough Enough! Seventeen Year Old LHS Student Shot To Death
When will it stop? When are we going to stop senselessly killing each other? When is enough enough?
The News Examiner-Enterprise once again regretfully reports that a young man has been gunned down and murdered in our community.
The St. James Parish Sheriff’s Department reports on August 3rd at 12:07 a.m., the Sheriff deputies responded to a call of gunshots being fired on Louisiana Avenue in Lutcher.
When deputies arrived at the scene they immediately discovered a 17-year old male, who had been shot multiple times and lying on the front porch of the residence located at 2400 Louisiana Avenue.
Acadian Ambulance was dispatched to the scene, but the victim succumbed to his injuries.
The victim has been identified as Jabarie Lyndez Lewis (17-year old African American man from Lutcher).
To date no arrest has been made and Sheriff’s Office detectives are continuing their investigation of the homicide.
Anyone having infor-mation should contact the St. James Parish Sheriff’s Office at 225-562-2200 or Crime Stoppers at 1-877-903-STOP.
Crime Stoppers will pay up to $2,500 for information leading to an arrest.
Also, tips can be reported through Nixle by logging on to www.stjamessheriff.com and clicking on the Nixle link.
To The Community
There was a time in the not so distant past when the towns of Lutcher and Gramercy, and St. James Parish as a whole, were very safe communities.
You could leave your home open during the day and you could leave your car running to run into the store to pick up a few things. You did not have to worry about someone stealing your car and you definitely did not worry about someone breaking into your home to hurting you, or worse, kill you.
Of course, there has always been basic crime - crimes surrounding drugs, domestic issues, petty theft and other non-violent crimes, but for the most part everyone knew each other and we treated each other with common courtesy, decency and respect. A shooting was by far the exception and not the rule.
I cannot pinpoint when things changed, but over the last few years I have had to write far too many articles like the one about Jabarie Lewis, who would have begun his senior year at Lutcher High School next week, and the heinous crime that took his life.
I know there is not one answer to the gun violence epidemic plagueing young black Americans and there are hundreds of variables that go into this problem.
However, there is something we can all do to help put a stop to some of this senseless killing.
One of the biggest problems facing our community, especially in the black community, is that the police often get little to no cooperation from the community, from witnesses, and from others who know what really happened.
Do we really think things will get any better by staying silent and by knowingly allow murderers to roam free. When is the community going to take back their community and help law enforcement get these violent criminals off the streets?
When is enough enough?
There are people who know what happened and who shot Mr. Lewis, but fear of retaliation and the lack of community pressure and peer pressure to do the right thing hampers us and exacerbates the problem. Instead of removing violent people from our neighborhoods we protect them and harbor them. How insane is that?
The Sheriff’s Office will not divulge details of any on-going investigation, but what police do tell me over and over is that witnesses refuse to cooperate with the police, which leaves the police with their hands tied and bad people on the streets committing more crimes.
There are many, many ways to help police put bad people in jail. You do not have to stand on a mountain and wave a flag that you are cooperating.
One simple, anonymous phone call can point police in the right direction and result in possibly saving another family, a family like Jabarie Lewis’, from having to suffer the grief and agony of having to suddenly bury a 17-year old young man who had his whole life in front of him.
Editor’s note: I wrote this article Monday afternoon and on Tuesday I attended a Lutcher Town meeting where Alderwoman Darlene Riley made several passionate comments regarding the most recent killing.
Also, not long after the meeting convened, another shooting in Lutcher occurred and Richard Wiggins, no more information was available as of press time, was shot during a drive by shooting. Wiggins was injured and will survive, but he did have to be airlifted to receive medical care due to his gunshot wounds.
The shooting of Wiggins follows Lewis’ death and the shooting death of Charles Lucas, who was also shot and killed a few weeks ago in Lutcher.
“It takes a village to raise children and we all have a part to play - the schools, police, community and families,” said a passionate Riley during Tuesday’s meeting. “I am going to start working with parents and start taking the initiative to help and I will get the help I need. I am determined to do it.”
“You know what - Black Lives Matter, but not just Black Lives Matter - every life matters,” said Riley. “Because God created each of us in his own image. God gives us life and God takes life.
“I am asking all of you to join together and help,” Riley ended saying. “If you won’t help I will go by myself.”
Riley also pleaded with Chief of Police Dwan Bowser to hire more police officers to increase police presence on the streets of Lutcher.
Chief Bowser said due to the pandemic it is very difficult to find and get applicants properly trained and certified.