arrest

The Iberia Parish Sheriff’s Office has arrested two people in a shooting that took the life of a 19-year-old New Iberia man early Sunday morning.

According to an IPSO spokeswoman, a 15-year-old male has been taken into custody and charged with one count of second-degree murder. Because he is a juvenile, his name is not being released. After booking, he was transferred to a juvenile detention facility.

A second person, Richard Perez, 18, was arrested and charged with accessory after the fact to second-degree murder and contributing to the delinquency of a juvenile involved in a felony. He is currently being held in the Iberia Parish Jail.

According to the spokeswoman, the arrests were made shortly after 10 p.m. Tuesday night.

The arrests come after Liam McDuff, 19, was shot around 1 a.m. Sunday morning after a group of people crashed a party on Sugar Oaks Road in Iberia Parish 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.

The IPSO spokeswoman said that more than 40 witness statements were taken prior to making an arrest in the case. Iberia Parish Sheriff Tommy Romero said he was very grateful for the overwhelming response from the multitude of individuals who witnessed this tragic incident.

The Louisiana Attorney General’s Office, 16th Judicial District Attorneys Office, Louisiana State Police, New Iberia Police Department, Vermilion Parish Sheriff’s Office and Abbeville Police Department aided in the arrests.

Romero said the investigation into the incident is continuing, with additional charges possible. He urged anyone with information regarding this case to contact IPSO at (337) 369-3711.