VIDEO: NIPD investigating second juvenile death of year

Published 9:00 am Wednesday, January 18, 2023

UPDATE 9:50 a.m.: The suspect has been brought into custody according to the New Iberia Police Department.

The New Iberia Police Department is investigating its second juvenile homicide case of the year after a body was found early this week.

Email newsletter signup

At a press conference held at the Cliff Aucoin Building on Main Street, NIPD Chief Todd D’Albor said officers responded to the 500 block of West Admiral Doyle Drive at 2:37 p.m. on Monday, where a deceased body was reported to the department.

Officers discovered the body of a juvenile male in a tree line of two wooden fences upon arrival and are investigating the death as a homicide. The body had reportedly been there for several days.

By the end of the press conference, D’Albor was able to confirm that the death was the result of a gunshot wound and that a warrant had been obtained for a 14-year-old juvenile male who is considered a suspect. The juvenile is being sought on charges of second degree murder and obstruction of justice.

The investigation is on the heels of another case reported last week where a 15-year-old boy died from multiple gunshot wounds in New Iberia.

“Law enforcement is not in the business of raising children, but we will hold the parents accountable,” D’Albor said. “From this point forward, parents that are unable or unwilling to provide supervision for children will be charged accordingly.”

Mayor Freddie DeCourt called both deaths alarming, and encouraged the community to say something if they see something.

“We need to pull together and address these issues as fast as we can,” DeCourt said.