In the quiet, early morning hours of August 12, 2019, in Reserve, Louisiana, a 57-year-old Black/African American man named Aurelius Burfict was walking down the 100 block of East 21st Street. It was approximately 1:00 a.m. when the stillness of the night was broken by the sound of gunfire. A vehicle approached Burfict from behind, and someone inside opened fire, striking him multiple times before speeding away.
Despite being seriously wounded, Burfict, who was autistic, managed to make his way to a nearby home to get help.
Emergency services were called to the scene and transported him to a hospital in New Orleans. Two days later, on August 14, 2019, the St. John the Baptist Parish Sheriff's Office announced the arrest of a suspect, 36-year-old Maurice Emanuel Hodges of Reserve. Hodges was taken into custody in Lake Charles by the U.S. Marshal Task Force and the Calcasieu Parish Sheriff's Office. He was booked on a charge of attempted second-degree murder. At the time of Hodges's arrest, authorities reported that Burfict was in stable condition at the hospital.
Despite the initial report of him being in stable condition, the case was later referred to as a homicide. The motive for the shooting remains unknown. Authorities noted that the community's assistance and tips were instrumental in identifying and locating Hodges as a suspect. At the time of his arrest in connection with the shooting, Hodges had been arrested 20 times in St. John Parish since 2001. Information regarding any subsequent legal proceedings, including whether the charges against Hodges were upgraded or the outcome of any trial, is not publicly available.
