Romalace James Jr., a 43-year-old Black man, died on June 10, 2019, in Harvey, Louisiana. In the first hours after the violence, deputies were dispatched to the 2200 block of Glasgow Drive after reports of gunfire late that night, and a search of the area drew them to a nearby drainage canal where they found a man’s body with gunshot wounds, partially submerged near the intersection of Brown Avenue and Ethel Lane Street.
At the time, investigators said they did not yet have a suspect or a known motive, and the early reporting emphasized how little was clear beyond the sound of shots, the hurried response, and the grim discovery in the canal’s dark water. Authorities urged anyone who knew what had happened—any argument overheard, any car seen leaving, any name whispered afterward—to contact the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office with information that could help piece the night together.
In the days that followed, memorial notices for Romalace James Jr. confirmed his death date and home community, placing him firmly back among the people who loved him and would now have to mourn him. His obituary recorded his birth date, listed family members, and marked June 10, 2019 as the day he “departed this life,” a simple line that stood in stark contrast to the chaos suggested by the initial crime-scene reports.
As for accountability, the publicly available reporting tied to the shooting itself described no suspects and no motive at the outset, and in the sources located there were no named arrests, charges, trials, or convictions connected to Romalace James Jr.’s death. What remains in public view is a case introduced to the community as a late-night shooting and a body in a canal—an ending, but not an explanation.
