On a tragic morning in Houma, Louisiana, the life of 23-year-old Jarred Michael 'Jrock' Turner was cut short. An African American male, Turner was a native of Terrebonne Parish and a resident of Houma. On September 6, 2020, he was found at Harmon Park with multiple gunshot wounds. Despite the efforts of medical personnel, he succumbed to his injuries at the scene.
The events that led to this fatal encounter began in the early morning hours at an apartment complex on the east side of
Houma. A dispute arose between Turner and 26-year-old Donald R. Ross over a woman with whom both men had been involved. The woman had spent the previous night at Ross's apartment, a discovery that led to a confrontation when Turner arrived. After a verbal exchange and an alleged act of vandalism by Turner to the woman's vehicle, he left the apartment complex.
Ross, however, did not let the matter rest. He followed Turner to the area of Commerce Street. Surveillance footage from the scene captured the chilling moments that followed. Ross was seen arriving in a vehicle, parking strategically, and then exiting with an assault rifle. He immediately took a firing position and discharged multiple rounds, striking Turner in the head. At least ten rounds were found at the scene by the Houma Police Department.
In the aftermath of the shooting, Donald R. Ross turned himself in to the authorities at the Houma Police headquarters. He was subsequently arrested and charged with second-degree murder. Ross was held in the Terrebonne Parish jail on a $1 million bond. The Houma Police Department, in an unusual step, had to publicly refute false information circulating on social media that the shooting involved law enforcement. Following his trial, Donald R. Ross was convicted of the second-degree murder of Jarred Turner. A conviction for this charge in Louisiana carries a mandatory sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole.
