On a Sunday afternoon in Clinton, Louisiana, the joyful sounds of a child's birthday party were tragically silenced by gunfire. The ensuing chaos on February 10, 2019, left 33-year-old Mitchell Matthews, a male resident of Clinton, fatally wounded. The shooting occurred at his parents' home on Roosevelt Street, where family and friends had gathered to celebrate his nephew's ninth birthday.
During the party, a white Honda Accord reportedly drove up to the residence.
Multiple gunshots were fired from the vehicle, striking Matthews and another individual. Matthews managed to run inside his parents' home before collapsing from his injuries. The home itself was riddled with bullets. The second victim sustained injuries but survived. The investigation into the deadly shooting was handled by the East Feliciana Parish Sheriff's Office after the Clinton Police Department, facing internal challenges, handed over the case.
In the days following the shooting, two suspects were identified and apprehended. The first, Clyde Toney III, was arrested and charged with one count of first-degree murder and one count of attempted first-degree murder. A second suspect, Markell Woods, was arrested shortly after. He too faced charges of first-degree murder and attempted first-degree murder.
Subsequent legal proceedings revealed a complex and harrowing narrative of the events that transpired. During Markell Woods' trial, testimony indicated that both Woods and Toney were present at the scene. A witness testified to seeing Woods with a firearm. After the shots were fired, the two men fled in the white Honda.
Ultimately, Markell Woods was convicted for his role in the death of Mitchell Matthews. A court document reveals that he was sentenced as a second-felony habitual offender. For the first count, he received a sentence of sixty years of imprisonment at hard labor, and for the second count, he was sentenced to twenty-five years, with the sentences to be served consecutively. Details regarding the specific outcome of the charges against Clyde Toney III were not readily available in the examined sources.
