A 22-year-old Louisiana man accused of fatally shooting his mother and grandmother on Easter Sunday has been caught by police about 150 miles away in Alabama.
Lee Collins III was arrested by police Monday in the city of Mobile, one day after authorities said he shot his relatives at the family home in St. Bernard Parish, Fox 8 Live reported.
Collins got into an argument with his mother, Trenelle Collins, 55, and his grandmother, 75-year-old Mary Major, before opening fire around 7:45 p.m. on Sunday, according to St. Bernard Parish Sheriff James Pohlmann.
Collins then allegedly tried to shoot his father, but missed, Pohlmann said.
Police were called to the home and found the two women with gunshot wounds. Both were taken to the hospital, where they later died.
Investigators said they believed Collins stole a white 2019 Ford stake-bed truck from a nearby business after the shooting and used it to drive about 150 miles away to Mobile, Alabama.
Authorities in Alabama said Collins had been taken to AltaPointe Health, a mental health facility, by a neighboring law enforcement agency. There, they discovered he had been giving out a false name to authorities.
“Through the course of AltaPointe’s thorough intake measures, the staff realized right away the subject was not who he claimed to be. It was discovered he gave the previous law enforcement agency false information,” the Mobile Police Department said in a statement.
“Once their suspicions were heightened, the Mobile Police Department was notified immediately. Our officers responded and were able to properly identify the subject as Lee Collins III, who is wanted on two counts of murder in Louisiana.”
“We notified the St. Bernard Parish Sheriff’s Office, and they are coming to interview the subject and begin the process of having him extradited back to Louisiana,” the department added.
Authorities did not share details about the argument he had with his relatives leading up to the shooting, but the sheriff said Collins did not have a criminal history.
“From what we understand, he was homeschooled, never had any problems with the family or any indications that there was any form of violence, particularly at this level. Inside that home, after he shot both the mother and the grandmother he attempted to shoot the father inside the home, but he missed,” Pohlmann said Monday.
Pohlmann said that Collins will be charged with two counts of second-degree murder.
Derrick Alvaris, who lives on the same block as the Collins’ family, expressed his disbelief that the shooting took place in their neighborhood.
“All I remember, I just seen a lot of cops. And when I got here, my mom and them told me what happened,” he said. “I just can’t believe it happened. I just can’t believe it.”
Alvaris also said that Collins was not someone known to get into trouble.
“He never got into trouble, never did nothing. He was always homeschooled, so yeah, that was the truth. He never got in trouble. It’s just a sad story that it happened,” Alvaris said.
The investigation into the shootings remains ongoing.
