Dayton DeShawn Washington, an 18-year-old Black male remembered by loved ones as funny, cool, and respectful, was a young man who enjoyed making entertaining videos. His life was cut short on the evening of Sunday, October 27, 2019, in Shreveport, Louisiana. The shooting occurred around 7:50 p.m. at the LaTierra Villa Apartments in the city's Western Hills neighborhood.
Washington was struck once in the abdomen and rushed to Ochsner LSU Health hospital, but he succumbed to his injuries just before 9 p.m.
Initial reports were unclear, but Shreveport Police investigators soon determined that Washington had been inside an apartment with several other people when he was shot. The investigation moved quickly, leading to an arrest the very next day. On Monday evening, police took 18-year-old LaTroy Derez Smith Jr. into custody and charged him with one count of manslaughter. The following day, a second teenager, 17-year-old Cameron Boatwin, was also arrested and charged with one count of being an accessory after the fact to manslaughter.
As the case progressed, a clearer picture of the tragedy emerged. According to the Caddo district attorney’s office, Washington had been with three other young men, all self-described as friends. They were inside an apartment, fascinated by an assault-style rifle that they were passing to one another. Smith was pointing the rifle at one of the other men when he pulled the trigger and the weapon discharged. Smith later claimed that he had been distracted by the sound of another person's voice, causing him to turn and accidentally point the gun at Washington when it fired.
The case against LaTroy Derez Smith Jr. concluded with a bench trial before Caddo District Judge Donald E. Hathaway Jr. After hearing from six witnesses, including one eyewitness, and reviewing Smith's recorded confession, the judge delivered his verdict. On June 20, 2022, Smith, then 21, was found guilty of manslaughter in the death of Dayton Washington. He faced a potential sentence of up to 40 years in prison at hard labor. The conviction marked the final legal development in the case as of June 2022.
