Two men gunned down in broad daylight In the morning hours of Friday, September 8, 2017, in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, 49-year-old Donovan Troy Cummings was at a house on Thomas H. Delpit Drive with his friend, Harold Anthony. The two men were engaged in renovating the home, a property that had been damaged in the historic floods of August 2016. At approximately 9:45 a.m., their work was violently interrupted when a vehicle, described as a gray or silver newer model Mazda CX-9, pulled up.
Two or three men reportedly exited the SUV and began chasing Cummings and Anthony, opening fire on them. Harold Anthony was pronounced dead at the scene. Donovan Cummings was critically injured and transported to a local hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries later that day.
The investigation into the double homicide of Donovan Cummings and Harold Anthony quickly revealed a complex web of criminal activity. Authorities discovered that Harold Anthony was allegedly involved in a large-scale drug trafficking operation. This connection pointed to a possible motive for the brazen daylight shooting. The case grew even more convoluted just hours after the initial incident. A friend of Harold Anthony's, David Walker, who lived on the same street as the renovation property, was questioned by police. Walker claimed to have no information about the shooting. Shortly after his interview with law enforcement, Walker was found shot to death in his vehicle on Seneca Street.
Investigators believe Walker was murdered because he may have witnessed the killings of Cummings and Anthony and was being silenced. The subsequent investigation into this string of violence led to several arrests, though no one has been charged directly with the murders of Donovan Cummings and Harold Anthony. Authorities have identified Martrell Harris as a key figure in the drug trafficking organization and allege he hired a hitman, Dexter Collins, in connection with David Walker's death. Terrell Anthony, Harold Anthony's brother, was also arrested and charged with second-degree murder in Walker's death, with investigators suggesting he may have believed Walker was withholding information from the police.
Further scrutiny of Harold Anthony's affairs revealed that his home was ransacked on the day of his murder. Surveillance footage showed his ex-girlfriend, Deleta Jolla, along with Martrell Harris and another man, Larry Smith, entering the residence. It is believed they removed a pillowcase full of money from the house. While several individuals, including Harris, Collins, and Terrell Anthony, have faced charges related to the broader criminal enterprise and the murder of David Walker, the specific individuals who shot and killed Donovan Cummings and Harold Anthony have not been brought to justice. The East Baton Rouge District Attorney's Office has stated that the homicides remain under active investigation.
