8-year-old victim of drive-by shooting dies

Published 10:00 am Sunday, February 16, 2020

An 8-year-old boy shot Tuesday afternoon in a drive-by shooting on N. Neco Town Road died Friday night at a Baton Rouge hospital, according to an Iberia Parish Sheriff’s Office spokesman.

Jamal Robinson was the only person injured when Jonas Travin Hawk, 26, of Jeanerette, fired several rounds into a group of people outside of a home in the 2200 block of N. Neco Town Road.

People at the scene identified Hawk, 26, as the person who drove by a group of people outside the home on N. Neco Road near Admiral Doyle Drive shortly after 4 p.m. and fired several shots into the crowd, hitting the young victim. Hawk was initially charged with 15 counts of attempted first-degree murder. Those charges will be upgraded to 14 counts of attempted first-degree murder and one count of first-degree murder.

Iberia Parish Sheriff’s Office investigators were informed that the child had been taken to a local hospital suffering from a gunshot wound. Robinson was later transported to a hospital in Baton Rouge in critical condition.

The IPSO spokesman said investigators found that there was an ongoing dispute between Hawk and the victim’s uncle.

At the time Hawk fired into the crowd there were 15 people in the group, including the victim’s uncle.

Jeanerette City Marshal’s Office deputies later detained Hawk and held him for IPSO investigators. He was booked into the Iberia Parish Jail Tuesday night.

Hawk was being held on $350,000 bond, but that bond will likely be raised in light of the new charge.