Three.

That is the number of people that have been murdered in Iberia Parish so far this year, and we haven’t even celebrated Fat Tuesday yet. With only 42 days marked off the calendar, the parish is averaging one murder every two weeks. That means that Iberia Parish is once again on pace to surpass double digit murders.

The latest resident to have his life violently ended at the hands of his fellow man was Dante Archangel, who was shot to death during the tail end of a Mardi Gras parade held in Jeanerette a week ago today. Archangel was 22.

Less than a week earlier, Iberia Parish Sheriff’s Office deputies found Kahidrick Mitchell dead inside a vehicle on Mississippi Street in New Iberia with numerous gunshot wounds. Mitchell was 27.

A week before that, Deondrick Bowser died after being shot at close range with an AK-47 in the 300 block of Deare Street in New Iberia. Bowser was 27.

That is three men under the age of 30 who are no longer here with their family and friends. They won’t be there in the morning to have a cup of coffee and eat breakfast. Nor will they be there in the Tuesday evening to celebrate Mardi Gras or in church trying to follow on the righteous path on all the Sundays that will follow.

There was vigil held in Jeanerette on Friday as leaders preached non-violence. Vigils like Friday’s have become all too common here in the Teche Area, and for that matter across our wonderful state.

Yet, our residents continue to kill one another.

Exhausted law enforcement officials attempt to prevent these violent deaths from happening, with more patrols in high crime areas, and an aggressive Crime Stoppers campaign encouraging the public to help with violent crime.

Yet, three more murders and three more funerals have taken place in the parish.

How do we reverse this disturbing and heartbreaking trend in the community? It is hard to say.

Will the recreated New Iberia Police Department help reduce violent crime in the city, and in turn elevate some of the workload off the IPSO? Hopefully.

Do our local civic and church leaders need to give even more hours every day to reach out to the community? Maybe but it’s not as if they haven’t already been trying to do that.

The reality is it will take more than increased police presence or vigils or even prayers to God for it to end. It will simply take the community, and those who pridefully call it home, to please think before pulling out a gun and blindly take the life of one of their fellow men. 

Hopefully that will take root before another three are taken away.

RAYMOND PARTSCH III

MANAGING EDITOR