Grambling State shooting suspect turns himself in

30th October 2017   ·   0 Comments

The suspect in a shooting that killed a Grambling State University student and his friend after an altercation on the historically Black college’s campus turned himself in Thursday.

According to the Lincoln Parish Sheriff’s Office, Jaylin M. Wayne was arrested in this case and charged with first-degree murder. Wayne was arrested Thursday night around 8:30 p.m. Officials say he turned himself in after learning of the arrest warrant that had been issued.

The warrant was issued after LPSO investigators gathered vital evidence and conducted many interviews from witnesses.

The investigation revealed this incident happened as a result of an disagreement, which led to a fight between Andrews and Wayne. At some point during the fights, officials say Wayne produced a handgun and shot Andrews and Caldwell. Officials say it appears Caldwell was coming to Andrews’ aid when he was shot.

“I feel confident that our investigators have put together a strong case. As a department, we offer our condolences to the families and friends of the deceased. I want to thank our team of investigators for their dedication and the determined effort that they put forth in working this case. I would also like to thank the Grambling State University Police Department, Grambling Police Department, Monroe Police Department, Ruston Police Department, the Louisiana State Police, and numerous other public safety entities for their assistance with this investigation,” said Sheriff Mike Stone.

The suspect is reportedly a Grambling State University student.

Lincoln Parish Sheriff Mike Stone said a day before the arrest that the suspect and victims knew each other “to some extent” and stressed that the shooting wasn’t random or an act of terrorism.

“There are no indicators that this incident bears any resemblance to any of the random acts of violence or domestic terrorism that have been experienced around our country in recent weeks,” Stone said in a statement.

University spokesman Will Sutton identified the victims as Grambling junior Earl Andrews and Monquiarious Caldwell, both 23 and from Farmerville, Louisiana, about 30 miles (48 kilometers) from Grambling.

Andrews’ brother, Ledarius Heard, told The Associated Press in a telephone interview that Andrews and Caldwell were friends from high school and cousins by marriage.

Heard, 31, said his brother, who lived with him off campus in Ruston, was studying criminal justice and hoped to move to Texas after graduation to be closer to his one-year-old son.

“Earl didn’t bother nobody,” Heard said.

The deadly shootings happened during the school’s homecoming week. Heard said Andrews typically came home immediately after classes ended but had been on campus Tuesday night to hang out with friends during homecoming week. Heard said he didn’t know of any conflicts between his brother and anyone else.

“If he ever had any problems, he would let me know,” he added.

Grambling State President Richard Gallot Jr. said the college would have “increased police and security” on campus last week but would proceed with a normal academic schedule and wasn’t canceling homecoming events. A student-led prayer vigil was planned for Wednesday evening.

Lincoln Parish Sheriff’s spokesman Stephen Williams said detectives joined Grambling State’s campus police in investigating the double homicide after getting 911 calls starting at 12:04 a.m. Wednesday.

The university in northern Louisiana has an enrollment of nearly 5,000 students.

“It was an altercation that started inside one of the dorm rooms and spilled out into the courtyard,” Williams said. “We’re interviewing witnesses.”

The university posted a message on Twitter that said offices would be open Wednesday with normal business hours and students were expected to attend classes as scheduled.

A Grambling State student was wounded last month in a separate shooting on the campus. Grambling spokesman Will Sutton told news outlets then that a student let another person into a dorm and there was a fight that ended with a student being shot in the left arm on Sept. 21. No suspects have been named in that shooting.

Gallot said the latest shooting was an “isolated incident.”

“In the coming weeks, we will work with you to get your input on how we can maintain and enhance campus safety,” he said.

This article originally published in the October 30, 2017 print edition of The Louisiana Weekly newspaper.