In the late summer evening of September 1, 2019, Sherman E. Rambo Jr., a 42-year-old African American male, found himself in the wrong place at the worst possible time. An innocent bystander, the single father and veteran was caught in the crossfire of a shootout in the Stoner Hill neighborhood of Shreveport, Louisiana. The incident, which unfolded on East Stoner Avenue, tragically cut his life short.
Emergency services rushed to the scene where they found Rambo with multiple gunshot wounds to his upper body. He was quickly transported to Ochsner LSU Health but succumbed to his injuries shortly after arrival.
The Shreveport Police Department immediately launched an intensive investigation into the senseless killing. Their efforts led them to identify three men allegedly involved in the shooting. Jacody Demetrius Wilson, then 23, Cortez De'Shun Hines, 27 at the time, and Carl Wayne McClinton Jr., who was 18, were arrested and subsequently indicted by a Caddo Parish Grand Jury. All three faced the serious charge of second-degree murder in connection with Rambo's death. The investigation revealed that Rambo was not the intended target of the gunfire. In addition to the murder charges, Wilson and Hines also faced charges of attempted second-degree murder related to the shooting of another individual, Shaquille Bradford, on the same day.
The wheels of justice began to turn, and Cortez De'Shun Hines was the first of the accused to stand trial in Caddo District Court. After hearing testimony from a total of 17 witnesses, which included civilians, law enforcement, and expert witnesses, a jury of six men and six women found Hines unanimously guilty of the second-degree murder of Sherman Rambo. Following his conviction, the judge handed down a mandatory life sentence. Hines will serve his time at hard labor without the possibility of probation, parole, or a suspended sentence. As of recent updates, the other two men indicted in Rambo's death, Jacody Demetrius Wilson and Carl Wayne McClinton Jr., are still awaiting their trials.
