In the early morning hours of a Saturday in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, tragedy befell a promising young student. Firoz-Ul-Amin, a 29-year-old man from Bangladesh, was working as a clerk at Mr. Lucky's Valero gas station on Airline Highway. He was a dedicated Ph.D. student in computer science and engineering at Louisiana State University, focusing his research on cybersecurity.
His friends and professors remembered him as a kind, hardworking, and incredibly intelligent individual who was always willing to help others. He had plans to return to Bangladesh in December to marry his fiancée and bring her back to the United States.
On that fateful morning, at approximately 3:30 a.m., a man entered the gas station. The individual shot Firoz-Ul-Amin before robbing the store. Law enforcement officers who responded to the scene pronounced him dead. The news of his violent death sent shockwaves through the LSU community and among his friends and family, who were devastated by the loss of a man with such a promising future. A GoFundMe campaign was quickly established by the LSU Bangladeshi Student Association to cover his funeral expenses and to transport his body back to his family in Bangladesh.
The East Baton Rouge Sheriff's Office launched an investigation into the homicide. Their efforts led to a breakthrough when a concerned resident provided a tip about a potential suspect. Investigators brought in 22-year-old Antonio D. Watts for questioning. During the interview, Watts confessed to the killing. Detectives noted that his account of the robbery and shooting was consistent with the evidence they had collected, including surveillance footage from the gas station. Following his confession, Antonio D. Watts was arrested and booked into the East Baton Rouge Parish Prison. He faced charges of first-degree murder, armed robbery, illegal use of a weapon, and being a felon in possession of a firearm.
