In the spring of 2021, a young man's life was tragically cut short in Shreveport, Louisiana. On the evening of March 31, 19-year-old Xavier Griffin was proudly showing off a new rifle to some friends near the Lakeside Garden Apartments. After firing a celebratory shot into the air, he was approached by another young man, 20-year-old Sirelderick Hays.
A fateful interaction would leave one man dead and the other facing a lifetime behind bars.
Hays asked to see the new firearm, but Griffin declined. At that point, Hays attempted to forcibly take the rifle, instigating a struggle. During the altercation, Hays produced a handgun and shot Griffin in the neck. Xavier Griffin was pronounced dead at the scene, and Hays fled with both the rifle and the handgun. The initial investigation was hampered by a lack of cooperation from witnesses, but surveillance footage from the apartment complex and tips from Crime Stoppers eventually helped authorities identify Hays as the perpetrator.
Shreveport Police arrested Sirelderick Hays on April 7, 2021. He was initially charged with second-degree murder, armed robbery, and being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm. A Caddo Parish grand jury returned a true bill of indictment against Hays for these charges in July of 2021. After a trial, a jury found Hays guilty of armed robbery and felon in possession of a weapon, and responsively guilty of the lesser charge of manslaughter. In April 2025, a Caddo Parish judge sentenced SirElderick Deon Hays to a total of 130 years in prison, with the sentences for each charge to be served consecutively. The sentence was handed down without the possibility of parole, probation, or suspension of sentence.
