An 11-year-old boy has been charged with two counts of first-degree murder after the fatal shootings of a former Louisiana mayor and his daughter.
In a press conference on Tuesday, Jared McIver, police chief of Minden, a small town in north-west Louisiana, said that at about 6.30am on Sunday police responded to reports of a shooting inside a house on Austin Street, according to local reports.
Upon arrival at the scene, police found 82-year-old Joe Cornelius Sr and 31-year old Keisha Miles dead with multiple gunshot wounds. They also found two hidden handguns with empty magazines. McIver said the calibers matched the shell casings that were found at the scene.
One neighbor told KSLA “About eight gunshots. Pow, pow, pow and then pow, pow, pow.”
During the news conference, McIver said the 11-year-old boy was related to the victims, adding that he “gave us a story at first that just didn’t add up” before saying that the boy later allegedly confessed to the shootings. McIver added that the boy’s grandmother, who is Miles’s mother, was present at the time of the boy’s alleged confession, NBC reports.
The boy did not appear remorseful, according to McIver.
“What I would say would be remorseful – sadness, sorrowful, apology, crying – none of those things happened,” he said.
A neighbor recalled to KSLA an alleged argument occurring between Cornelius Sr and the boy about credit charges over video games.
“I think that’s what happened. He was arguing with him, I heard them hollering and stuff … That was my cousin, I hate that that happened. Over a game,” the neighbor said.
Police have yet to announce a motive. McIver said at a press conference: “A lot of questions have arose about what is the why behind it? We do not know that yet … We are still piecing the puzzle pieces together.”
In a statement on Facebook, Minden’s mayor, Nick Cox, said: “It is with deep sadness that we mourn the loss of Joe Cornelius Sr, a former long-time Minden city councilman and former appointed mayor of Minden. Joe Cornelius’s years of service to Minden were marked by his commitment and dedication to the betterment of our community … During this incredibly difficult time, I ask that we all keep Joe’s family in our thoughts and prayers. May they find comfort and strength in the midst of this tragedy.”
