‘Took my baby from me.’ 4-year-old killed as bullets riddle home, Louisiana cops say
Iesha Thomas was in her apartment in Louisiana when she heard gunshots, she told KLFY.
But the sound wasn’t outside, or even next door. It was in her own home, KLFY reported.
“All I could hear coming from the front room was 15 shots,” Thomas said. “I come to the front, and they (are) all shot up.”
During the early hours of April 27, gunfire riddled an apartment in Opelousas with bullets, KATC reported.
The shooting killed a 46-year-old man and 4-year-old Rakatelyn Colla, who was Thomas’ daughter, according to KLFY. Thomas told the outlet that men burst into her apartment and began shooting.
Officers first received a report of two women fighting, according to the Associated Press. When police arrived, the dispute had fizzled out, so they left.
A short time later, they were called back for a shooting at the same location, AP reported.
Two men had joined the dispute, according to KATC. The fight escalated until shots were fired, killing the man and girl, and injuring three other children, the news outlet reported.
The 46-year-old man died at the scene, according to AP. The 4-year-old girl died at a hospital.
“They took my baby from me. They took her,” Thomas told KLFY. “I still have five, no matter what. I’m not going to say four. She’s here. In my heart ... I have four that’s living, and I have an angel.”
A 7-year-old boy and a 17-month-old girl were shot and hospitalized, police told KATC. A 16-year-old in a nearby home was grazed by a stray bullet, the AP reported.
Police have a warrant for a suspect for two counts of first-degree murder, three counts of attempted first-degree murder and home invasion, according to KLFY.
No suspects have been publicly named by the police.
Anyone with information is asked to contact the Opelousas Police Department or Crime Stoppers.
McClatchy News reached out to the Opelousas Police Department for comment and did not receive an immediate response.
Opelousas is about 72 miles northwest of Baton Rogue.
