Crime scene tape

A party at the former Sugar Oaks Road horse barn of murdered New Iberia orthodontist Dr. Robert Chastant was the scene of another killing early Sunday morning, this one taking the life of an 19-year-old New Iberia man after an altercation led to gunfire.

According to sources at the party, Liam McDuff, 19, was shot around 1 a.m. after a group of people crashed the party and caused a disturbance. The get together had been posted on social media, leading to some people who had not been specifically invited showing up. 

When they were asked to leave, the suspect in the shooting went to their vehicle and retrieved a gun, then fired at least once back towards a group of people standing outside the horse barn on the property, hitting McDuff.

McDuff was transported to Iberia Medical Center, where he died early Sunday morning.

It was exactly 10 years ago today that IPSO deputies found Chastant’s body near the horse barn in the 3100 block of Sugar Oaks Road. Chastant had been reported missing on the morning of Monday, Dec. 13, 2010, when he did not show up at his office that Monday morning. His body was found 12 hours later near the horse barn, leading to the arrest of, and eventual guilty plea from, Ismael Viera.

Viera, who worked the horse barn for Chastant, is currently serving a mandatory life sentence for second-degree murder.

According to Iberia Parish Sheriff Tommy Romero, he did not believe the victim had been specifically targeted in the shooting.

An IPSO spokeswoman said there were multiple witnesses to both the altercation and the shooting and that detectives were expected to make progress quickly to resolve the case.

At this time, IPSO is not releasing or confirming any information on the incident other than the fact that a homicide did occur and it is under investigation.