Tamaia Regina Washington, 20, was fatally shot inside a residence in the 16000 block of Highway 157 in the small community of Rocky Mount, Louisiana, on the morning of Thursday, October 5, 2023. Friends described Washington as someone who could light up a room and who cared deeply for others. Her death was reported as the first homicide in Bossier Parish that year.

Bossier Parish deputies were alerted after a woman walking on a nearby road matched the suspect description. The woman, identified as 20-year-old Lamijah Wesley of Shreveport, was found armed with a handgun, detained, and later identified by detectives as the primary suspect. Wesley was arrested and charged with first-degree murder, aggravated burglary, and illegal carrying of a weapon, and was booked into the Bossier Maximum-Security Facility with a total bond set at $810,000.

If anyone knew Tamaia, her movements that morning, or has information about the incident, please come forward to the Sheriff’s Office.