By Pat Culverhouse
A suspect is in custody in connection to a Friday night shooting which put a Minden man in the hospital with a non-life threatening wound.
Chief of Police Jared McIver said the suspect, whose name is being withheld pending further investigation, was arrested in the early morning hours Saturday at a residence in the 200 block of Virginia Ave. He reportedly was taken into custody without incident.
McIver said the shooting occurred around 8 p.m. Friday and apparently was the result of an earlier altercation at a local
store. A vehicle, reportedly occupied by several individuals, followed the victim to an area near the intersection of Talton and Murdock streets.
According to investigators, as many as five shots were fired into the victim’s vehicle, with one striking him in the shoulder. The victim reportedly exited his vehicle and ran to the front porch of a residence and collapsed into a chair.
Investigators said the suspected shooter followed and apparently was about to fire more shots when the homeowner intervened, causing the suspect to flee in a gray Honda Civic.
McIver said the victim was taken to the Minden Medical Center emergency room where he reportedly is in stable condition.
Around midnight, through the use of traffic cam license readers and information from an earlier incident gathered by Minden PD Patrol Commander Shane Griffith, the suspect vehicle was spotted headed westbound on Interstate 20 near Traffic St. in Bossier City.
After entering the plate into the system, investigators learned the vehicle was headed back toward Minden around 4 a.m.
A Webster Parish deputy sheriff reportedly spotted the vehicle heading south on U.S. Hwy. 371 and conducted a traffic stop near Lakeside Jr/Sr High School. The occupants were brought to police headquarters for questioning. During interviews, the suspected shooter’s location was revealed.
McIver said a firearm consistent with one from which the shots were fired has been recovered from the vehicle. Investigators are continuing to gather evidence and conduct interviews, the chief said. A charge of attempted second degree murder could be filed, he added.
“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.”
In another incident related to the shooting investigation, a Minden man reportedly was arrested after he drove through the crime scene and nearly struck two officers.
“He drove through the crime scene, around police cars, and nearly hit me and Chief McIver,” Griffith said. “He is being charged with DWI second offense.”