Homeowner's daughter, 4, apparently was hit by gunfire in shootout but is expected to be OK
It appears to be yet another case of crime suspects getting charged with murder when their accomplices are fatally shot by the crime victim.
A Louisiana homeowner had just about all he could handle last Tuesday morning when four men carrying guns invaded his residence in Lacombe, WVUE-TV reported. Lacombe is about an hour's drive north of — and directly across Lake Pontchartrain from — New Orleans.
Thing is, the homeowner also had a gun — and used it far more successfully than the quartet of intruders. The homeowner, in fact, shot all four suspects, killing two of them during the ensuing shootout.
The St. Tammany Coroner's office identified the dead suspects as 25-year-old Renard Causey Jr. and 21-year-old Justin Hill, WVUE added.
But now the two suspects who survived the shooting — Renard Causey Sr. and Jason Leblanc — both face charges of first-degree murder, armed robbery, and home invasion, the station reported in a follow-up story.
Both men will be booked after they are released from a hospital, WVUE reported.
The homeowner's 4-year-old daughter apparently was struck by a bullet in the crossfire, the station said, adding that family members said she received an operation and is expected to be OK.
The homeowner also is expected to be OK, and WVUE added that deputies say the homeowner won't face charges at this time. A relative told WVUE the homeowner may have been pistol-whipped before he fired at the intruders.
St. Tammany Sheriff's deputies are investigating the incident, the station said.
WVUE said the community on Palmer Drive is close — the kind of place where everyone either is related or has known each other for years — and many are stunned by what happened.
"It was late morning and we heard patrol cars, one after another and detective cars and then there would be ambulances," Shannon Bordelon told the station. "There were several dozen emergency vehicles involved."
Neighbors aded to WVUE that they waited 24 hours to learn about the shooting, but sheriff's officials said they didn't want to put out information sooner that might impede the investigation.