Fourth of July mass shooting 1 year later

Lina Portman3 days ago

0 1 minute read

SHREVEPORT, La. (KSLA) – Exactly one year ago today, gun violence shattered a community in Shreveport at an annual Fourth of July party. A year later, the mass shooting that killed these four victims is a case that still remains unsolved.

A year ago today, tragedy struck in Shreveport's MLK neighborhood.

“It's traumatic anytime that you hear a death of this nature especially from a family event that has gone on for 10 plus years without incident,” Councilwoman Tabatha Taylor said.

The Fourth of July block party in Shreveport's MLK neighborhood left four people dead and seven others injured.

“That intersection will never be the same,” Taylor said.

The 4 victims killed at the party were:

“I just don't think it's fair to us that we don't have no closure or we don't know anything,” Shamika Dorsey said.

It's a case that is still unsolved, according to the Shreveport Police Department. They say the investigation is ongoing and no arrests have been made.

“This year has been a process. I've been coping. I learned to take one day at a time, and sometimes I don't know how I move forward. All I can really say is God because if I did it in my own strength, I wouldn't be here right now,” Shamika said.

She says the loss of her son shattered her heart, but a year later, she accepted his untimely death.

“You just learn that life goes on. Me being sad won't bring justice; it won't bring my son back. I can't walk around angry. I just live to fight another day.”

City leaders say new safety measures like cameras and additional lighting are being added to the MLK area.

“This tragedy puts a damper on our numbers because we were always a safe community, and we still are. And so, what you will see I believe in the coming future is the resiliency and the rebirthing of the Cooper Road community in a number of ways,” Taylor said.

While the murders still remain a mystery, Shreveport police say an active investigation is still ongoing for this case. Anyone with information is asked to call SPD at (318) 673-7300 or Crime Stoppers at (318) 673-7373.