On a tragic evening in Eunice, Louisiana, 18-year-old Paul Stanley Celestine, a Black male, lost his life in a burst of gunfire. The fatal encounter unfolded on June 16, 2022, in the parking lot of a convenience store at the intersection of West Maple Avenue and Boudreaux Street. Alongside him, 17-year-old Aiden Cade McCauley was also killed. Both young men were pronounced dead at the scene from gunshot wounds.
The events of that Thursday night began with an argument inside the store
that tragically escalated and spilled out into the parking lot. Responding officers, who were already patrolling the area as part of a proactive criminal detail, arrived within moments to find the two teenagers' bodies. The shooter had already fled the scene in a dark-colored Dodge Challenger.
In the days that followed, the Eunice Police Department identified 25-year-old Travis Godfrey of Eunice as the suspected shooter. While the search for Godfrey was underway, an arrest was made in connection with the case. Lorraine M. Guillory, 36, was taken into custody on June 17, 2022, and charged with obstruction of justice and evidence tampering for allegedly removing a handgun from one of the victims. The vehicle believed to have been used by Godfrey was also located and seized by law enforcement.
A week after the shooting, on June 23, 2022, Travis Godfrey turned himself in to the Eunice Police. Accompanied by his lawyer, he provided a prepared statement to investigators. Godfrey was arrested on two counts of first-degree murder and illegal carrying of a weapon. By August 30, 2022, a grand jury indicted him on charges of the first-degree murder of Paul Celestine and the manslaughter of Aiden McCauley. He was scheduled for arraignment on these charges in September of the same year.
