On a December evening in Metairie, Louisiana, a promising young life was tragically cut short. Sixteen-year-old Josiah Pujols, a student and football player at Haynes Academy for Advanced Studies, was fatally shot on December 10, 2020. Known to his friends and family as 'JoJo,' Josiah was accompanied by his aunt, Brittany Gaskins, and a 17-year-old friend on what he told her was an errand to pick up some clothes.
The outing, however, was a pretense for a marijuana deal that would end in bloodshed in a parking lot in the 3900 block of Division Street.
The situation escalated quickly and violently when Josiah's 17-year-old companion exited their vehicle and opened fire, killing 22-year-old Melvin Francis at the scene. In response, an associate of Francis, 21-year-old Robert White, returned fire, unleashing a spray of bullets into the car occupied by Josiah and his aunt. A round struck Josiah in the head, inflicting a fatal wound. His aunt was also wounded in the exchange. Gaskins managed to drive away from the chaotic scene to her nearby apartment before realizing she had been shot and calling for help.
In the aftermath, law enforcement investigated the deadly encounter. The 17-year-old male who was with Josiah was arrested and faced two counts of first-degree murder. Under Louisiana law, he was held responsible for both his own actions in killing Francis and for initiating the gunfight that led to Josiah's death. Robert White, who fired the fatal shot that killed Josiah, was arrested on drug and weapon charges. However, investigators determined that his actions were in self-defense, and he did not face murder charges for the deaths of Pujols or Francis.
