Shooting arrest

MINDEN, La. — A suspect has been arrested and booked for attempted second-degree murder less than 12 hours after a shooting in Minden left one person wounded Friday night, according to Minden Police Chief Jared McIver.

Kendric D. Taylor Jr., 23, was arrested Saturday following interviews with Minden police detectives. He's held in Bayou Dorcheat Correctional Center on a $995,000 bond. 

The shooting was reported around 8 p.m. Friday on Talton Street in the area near the intersections of Peach and Plum streets. When officers arrived, they learned the victim had already gone to the emergency room at Minden Medical Center.

McIver said the victim suffered a gunshot wound to the upper right shoulder that was not considered life-threatening.

According to the preliminary investigation, the incident began earlier at Abraham's Food Mart on the lower end of Talton Street before escalating into gunfire. Investigators said Taylor followed the victim's vehicle from the store and up Talton Street.

"The suspect followed them and fired several shots at the victim's vehicle, striking the victim in the upper right shoulder," McIver said.

Witnesses reported hearing four to five gunshots. Officers later recovered three spent shell casings in the roadway, though the exact number of shots fired had not been determined, McIver said.

McIver said a "be on the lookout" alert was issued for the Honda that Taylor was driving. He added that detectives and patrol officers worked through the night, utilizing surveillance footage and other investigative leads to identify the suspect's vehicle.

The investigation was aided by license plate reader technology, which detected the vehicle traveling through the area and helped investigators track its movements.

McIver added that shortly after 5 a.m. Saturday, a Webster Parish sheriff's deputy spotted the vehicle and stopped it just south of Sibley on U.S. Highway 371. Although the suspected shooter was not inside the vehicle when it was stopped, investigators developed information indicating the suspect had been dropped off at a house on Virginia Avenue.

Officers later located Taylor at the Virginia Avenue address where he was arrested this morning, McIver said.

A firearm believed to have been used in the shooting was recovered from the vehicle, according to McIver, though investigators were still working Saturday to determine whether it was the weapon used in the attack.

Police have not determined a motive. McIver said the victim told investigators the shooting may have been a case of mistaken identity, but detectives continue to investigate the circumstances surrounding the incident.

McIver credited Minden police officers and the Webster Parish Sheriff's Office for quickly identifying and apprehending the suspect.

"Our guys worked around the clock," McIver said. "They just kept working and putting the puzzle pieces together. We're thankful for the Sheriff's Office helping us locate the vehicle and helping us get the suspect into custody."

The investigation remains ongoing.