Tropical Depression Nine has formed in the western Caribbean. The National Hurricane Center expects this system will likely become Hurricane Ida when it enters the Gulf of Mexico on Saturday. State Climatologist Barry Keim says landfall is likely on Sunday and rapid intensification is expected once the developing storm starts moving through the Gulf of Mexico.
23-year old Davonta (Dah-von-tah) Verret was arrested in Mississippi this morning for the shooting death of 8-year old Treyce (Trace) Bryant of Houma last March. Houma Police Chief Dana Coleman says Bryant, who was in the car with her mother was never the intended victim, Verret was involved in a dispute with another man.
Verrett is charged with one count of first-degree murder and two counts of attempted first-degree murder
The state reports 2,729 COVID hospitalizations today, down 115 from Wednesday. The state also reports more than five thousand new COVID cases There were more reported cases in kids ages five to seventeen than those 50 and older.
The AP releases graphic body camera footage of a State Police trooper hammering a Black man with a metal flashlight during a 2019 traffic stop in Monroe. Matt Doyle has more.