Disclaimer: All persons are presumed innocent until proven guilty.
MONROE, La. (KTVE/KARD) — On June 23, 2022, deputies of the Ouachita Parish Sheriff’s Office responded to a drive-by shooting on the 1900 block of Martin Luther King Drive at Steve’s Smoker’s Paradise. Once authorities arrived at the scene, they spoke with the victims of the shooting.
According to victim one, they entered the store to pay for fuel, and victim two entered the store and no one was inside. Victim one advised deputies that they observed the store clerk sitting in a black Impala, next to a ice machine in front of the store.
Victim one mentioned that they began a verbal altercation with the store clerk’s boyfriend 33-year-old Javaries Thomas, due to the store clerk not being inside of the store. Victim one pointed their hands towards the store clerk as if they had a gun and Thomas allegedly left the premises in the black Impala.
While victim one stood at the gas pump, they observed Thomas allegedly driving east on Hadley Street where he pointed a black gun out of the driver’s window, firing multiple shots toward victim one. According to victim one, they heard approximately four gunshots.
Authorities made contact with witnesses who were standing on the 2000 block of Martin Luther King Drive at Chevron U-Pak-It. According to witnesses, they observed a black Impala traveling east on Hadley Street firing multiple gunshots from the driver’s side.
Deputies made contact with the store clerk who advised that Thomas was the alleged suspect. The store clerk also mentioned that she and Thomas have five children together, who were inside of the black Imapla during the shooting.
On Thursday, June 30, 2022, deputies arrested Thomas and transported him to the Ouachita Correctional Center. He was charged with two counts of Assault by Drive-by Shooting and five counts of Control to Delinquent Juvenile.