Malik Filer, a 17-year-old Black male from St. Martinville, Louisiana, was killed late on the night of August 5, 2018, in a quiet stretch of the 400 block of North Vivier Street. Relatives said he had just been dropped off at his aunt’s house, and the ordinary rhythm of the evening turned sudden and violent when someone rushed up and opened fire, striking him multiple times as he was outside.
In the hours and days that followed, the town’s grief sharpened into a search for answers.
Police publicly identified a suspect and said a warrant had been issued for Daylon “Ko Ko” Alexander on a charge of second-degree murder, describing him as wanted in connection with the shooting death. The case lingered as investigators continued to press for information, and reports at the time emphasized that the shooting happened around 11:00 p.m. on that same block of North Vivier Street.
Months later, the investigation widened beyond the gunman. In January 2019, authorities arrested Bernard Mitchell IV and said he was booked on a charge of accessory after the fact of second-degree murder for his involvement tied to the killing, suggesting that someone had helped in the aftermath rather than pulling the trigger. The arrest added a new name to the story, but it did not close the central wound, because the alleged shooter remained the focus.
For a long time, Alexander was still described as wanted, and the case carried the uneasy feeling of a door left ajar. Then, in May 2020, court records cited in local reporting indicated that Alexander was taken into custody and booked into the St. Martin Parish Correctional Center, marking the first time authorities could say the primary suspect in Malik’s death was behind bars. The charge reported in connection with that arrest was second-degree murder.
