A dispute that began earlier in the day at a Tinseltown movie theater in Shreveport, Louisiana, tragically escalated into a rolling gun battle on the evening of September 4, 2021, claiming the life of 13-year-old Kelvonte Daigre. The young male was a passenger in the back seat of a white Honda Accord when the vehicle was caught in a hail of gunfire at the intersection of Youree Drive and East Bert Kouns.
The exchange of over 50 rounds not only resulted in Daigre's death but also left two other teenagers with life-threatening injuries and another with a graze wound. The violence of the incident was so widespread that stray bullets struck the nearby Willis Knighton Pierremont Medical Center and other vehicles stopped at the traffic light.
The investigation into the shooting led to the identification and arrest of several young individuals. Among them was Ikerryunt’a Vernell Stewart, who was 17 at the time of the incident. Authorities determined that Stewart fired an AK-47 style rifle during the shootout. After a police chase, he was apprehended, and messages found on his phone admitted his involvement in the shooting. Another suspect, 15-year-old Ja’Shun Ja’Marick Smith, was also taken into custody. Due to the severity of the crime, Smith was tried as an adult. Court records indicate that an indictment was also filed against Christopher Michael Davenport and two other juveniles in connection with the fatal shooting.
In the ensuing legal proceedings, Ikerryunt’a Vernell Stewart pleaded guilty to manslaughter and eight counts of attempted second-degree murder. In September 2024, he was sentenced to a total of 110 years at hard labor. Ja’Shun Ja’Marick Smith was convicted of second-degree murder, eight counts of attempted second-degree murder, and four counts of aggravated criminal damage to property. He received a sentence of life in prison with the possibility of parole for the murder charge, in addition to concurrent 30-year sentences for the attempted murder convictions. The family of Kelvonte Daigre agreed to the plea deal offered to Stewart.
