A Bienville Parish man was fatally shot this morning after allegedly attempting to break into an 18-wheeler and being confronted by the trailer’s driver. Beinville Sheriff John Ballance says 35-year-old Jonathan Raney allegedly kicked in the front door of a liquor store, then targeted a nearby 18-wheeler… Balance says the truck driver woke up and warned Raney to leave…
Balance speculates Raney’s erratic behavior was from the use of drugs, but they are awaiting toxicology results.
Jefferson Parish Sheriff Joe Lopinto will old press conference this afternoon to discuss Saturday’s fatal shootings at a gun range that resulted in three deaths and two others injured. Investigators say the shooting started when 27-year-old Joshua Williams of New Orleans started an argument with staff at the gun store. Williams was killed, so was a store clerk and a customer. The press conference will be at 2 o’clock.
The Governor’s Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness is seeking information via survey on damage.la.gov from anyone who sustained damage from the winter weather, which could potentially lead to federal assistance. GOHSEP Spokesperson Mike Steele says that reporting the damage will also help state officials determine where the most damage happened.
Cut 4 (10) “…assistance may be available.”
Steele explains that this doesn’t guarantee federal assistance, but it could certainly help.
Strawberry farmers in the state are looking at a preliminary 30 to 35 percent loss in crops after the winter storms. Trey Harris of Harris Farms in Livingston Parish says the last time he saw damage this bad was the snow of December 2017, but it gave them enough time to recover because it takes 21 days for a bloom to produce a strawberry.