On the evening of Wednesday, April 13, 2022, a young man's life was cut short in the parking lot of an Exxon gas station in Broussard, Louisiana. Terrell Marshaun Fontenette Jr., a 19-year-old male from Iberia Parish, was discovered inside a vehicle, having sustained a fatal gunshot wound. The gas station, located at the intersection of Bonin Road and Ambassador Caffery, became the scene of an active homicide investigation as Broussard Police officers responded to reports of the shooting at
approximately 7 p.m.
The investigation quickly led to a suspect. The day after Fontenette's death, police arrested 24-year-old Dazjhalun Charles of Jeanerette. He was subsequently booked into the Lafayette Parish Correctional Center on a charge of second-degree murder. However, investigators believed that others were involved in the incident and continued to pursue leads. They also sought public assistance in locating a vehicle they believed was connected to the additional suspects.
A couple of months later, the case saw a new development. In June 2022, the US Marshals Task Force arrested a second individual in connection with the fatal shooting. Rico Gabriel, a 41-year-old from St. Martinville, was taken into custody on an active arrest warrant. He was also booked into the Lafayette Parish Correctional Center and, like Charles, faced a charge of second-degree murder for his alleged role in the death of Terrell Fontenette Jr. Gabriel's bond was set at $750,000.
