In the small town of Sunset, Louisiana, a long-standing feud culminated in the tragic death of 34-year-old Kendrick Lawrence, an African American male known affectionately as 'Coppee'. On the afternoon of March 25, 2019, which poignantly marked the one-year anniversary of his marriage to Tawana Calais Lawrence, Kendrick was found with a fatal gunshot wound to the chest on East Martin Luther King Drive. Despite the immediate response of emergency services, he was pronounced dead at the scene.
An autopsy later confirmed that the gunshot was the cause of his death, a devastating end to a life that was deeply embedded in the community.
The investigation into Lawrence's death quickly pointed to 36-year-old Walter Savoie Jr. as the primary suspect. According to the Sunset Police Department, the two men had been embroiled in a dispute for a significant period, which escalated to a fatal confrontation. In the immediate aftermath of the shooting, Savoie fled, but was persuaded by his family to surrender to the authorities. Upon his return to the scene, he was taken into custody and subsequently booked into the St. Landry Parish Jail. The community was left in shock, as this was the first homicide the town's police department had investigated in several years.
Walter Savoie Jr. was charged with second-degree murder and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, facing the possibility of a life sentence if convicted. The case drew considerable local media attention, highlighting the destructive consequences of unresolved personal conflicts. Kendrick Lawrence, a hardworking employee of U.S. Lawns, was remembered as a devoted family man with a generous heart and an infectious smile. He was a beloved husband, father, son, and brother. His funeral was held on April 6, 2019, at St. Charles Borromeo Roman Catholic Church, where a grieving community gathered to honor the memory of a man taken too soon.
