On a tragic day in January 2021, Anita Washington Jacobs, a 55-year-old female, lost her life in a violent encounter within her own home in Convent, Louisiana. The events that unfolded on January 7th of that year involved a domestic shooting that would leave one person dead and another injured. It was a situation that quickly escalated, drawing a significant law enforcement response to the residence.
St.
James Parish Sheriff's Deputies were called to the scene following reports of a shooting. Upon their arrival, they discovered that a man had shot two individuals inside the house and had then barricaded himself inside with a young child, his own 6-year-old son. As deputies attempted to make their way into the home, the suspect fired a shot in their direction, forcing them to pull back and establish a perimeter, leading to a tense stand-off. After a period of negotiation, the armed man, identified as Carlos Washington, emerged from the residence with his son. Officers were able to safely rescue the child and take Washington into custody.
Once the scene was secure, deputies entered the home and made a grim discovery. They found Carlos Washington's mother, Anita Jacobs, deceased from what appeared to be a gunshot wound to her head. They also located a second victim, who was identified as Washington's stepfather. He had sustained a gunshot wound that was not life-threatening and was subsequently transported to a local hospital for treatment before being released.
The investigation revealed that the alleged perpetrator was Anita's 32-year-old son, Carlos Washington, who also resided in Convent. A criminal history check showed that Washington had a prior felony conviction for illegal narcotics possession. Following the incident, he was booked into the St. James Parish Jail. On April 27, 2021, a St. James Parish Grand Jury returned a true bill of indictment against him. The charges included Second-Degree Murder for the death of his mother, Attempted Second-Degree Murder for the shooting of his stepfather, Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon, and Second-Degree Cruelty to a Juvenile. Washington was scheduled to be arraigned on these charges on June 28, 2021.
