LRN PM Newscall May 23

A tragic shooting in Lafayette last night claims the life of a 16-year-old female and a 14-year-old is facing murder charges. Brooke Thorington has more.

Cut 1 (34) “…I’m Brooke Thorington.”

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Consumer complaints against their property insurance companies have risen sharply in Louisiana. VERY sharply. Kevin Gallagher has more…:

Cut 2 (33) “…I’m Kevin Gallagher.”  

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Two people are dead after two boats collided on the False River in Pointe Coupee Parish on Friday night. State Department of Wildlife and Fisheries spokesman Adam Einck says 31-year-old Shea Mouton’s body was recovered Friday night, and they searched most of the weekend for Kenneth St. Romain…

Cut 3 (10) “..two injuries”

Einck says a Good Samaritan recovered two people from the water who received minor injuries. He says the double fatality occurred when a 20-foot vessel and a bass boat hit each other nearly head-on…

Cut 4  (08) “…in this”

St. Romain was a Baton Rouge dentist. His son was reportedly one of the individuals injured. Mouton was a resident of Fordoche.

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Lafayette Police are investigating a tragic shooting that claimed the life of a 16-year-old female and another juvenile has been charged with her murder. Sgt. Robin Green says last night detectives found the victim and the alleged 14-year old shooter sitting inside a parked vehicle. Green says the victim suffered a single gunshot wound to the chest.

Cut 5  (09) “…here in Lafayette.”

Green says life-saving measures were taken on the scene and the victim was transported to a local hospital where she was later pronounced dead. As for a motive…

Cut 6  (07) “…East Willow Street.” 

The suspect was booked into the Lafayette Parish Juvenile Detention Center.

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A 13-year-old is girl dead and another child is left injured after a crash following a high-speed pursuit in Bossier Parish. 22-year-old Willie Player is in custody after he fled a traffic stop on I-20. After moving from Bossier into Caddo Parish, Player crashed into a control wall and two unrestrained juveniles were thrown from the vehicle. Trooper Jonathan Odom says Brenda Adler suffered fatal injuries in the wreck.

Cut 7 (11) “…was killed.” 

During the pursuit, Player’s Chevy Tahoe hit a brick access wall on Montrose Drive, overturned multiple times, and then struck a utility pole. While both juveniles lay injured, Odom says Player fled the scene on foot before he was arrested. He now faces a laundry list of charges.

Cut 8 (12) “…carrying a weapon.” 

The reason for the chase seemed to become more evident once troopers obtained a search warrant for the vehicle, though Odom says the crash and circumstances of the incident remain under investigation.

Cut 9 (08) “…inside the vehicle.”

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A new report from the state’s Legislative auditor shows a huge increase in complaints made against property insurance carriers in the state. Chris Magee is a data analyst with the Legislative Auditor’s Office. He says the number of consumer complaints has spiked in the wake of catastrophic storms that have hit Louisiana in recent years. He says, until 2019 there were an average of about 450 complaints per year…:

Cut 10 (10) ” ….after Hurricane Ida.” 

Magee says homeowners insurance complaints soared in 2021 to over 5200. He says claims tripled after hurricanes Laura and Delta in 2020, then triple again in 2021 after Hurricane Ida…:

Cut 11 (11)  “…handling the claims.” 

The Department of Insurance reports 10 property insurance companies left Louisiana over the past two years, and five others have stopped writing any new policies. Magee says a handful of companies were unable to meet their policyholders’ needs at all…:

Cut 12 (10) “…to pay those claims.”  

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Hearing word that the state has broken another high record for gas prices is becoming the norm for daily news. According to Triple-A the statewide average for a gallon of regular gas in Louisiana is $4.24 a gallon today. Fuel Analyst Don Redman says it looks as if we’ll also have record-breaking highs for Memorial Day Weekend.

Cut 13 (08) “…anytime soon.”

Typically, Memorial Day weekend kicks off the summer travel season and Redman says Triple-A members continue to ask just how much should they budget for gas.

Cut 14 (08)  “…the summer.”

The nationwide average for a gallon of regular gas is $4.60.