On the night of Saturday, March 31, 2018, a dispute at a local convenience store in Natchitoches, Louisiana, escalated into a fatal encounter for Jamal Haskett, a Black male. The Natchitoches Police Department received several calls at approximately 11:13 p.m. reporting multiple gunshots fired at the Shop Rite located at 247 Keyser Avenue.
Upon their arrival, officers discovered Haskett suffering from multiple gunshot wounds.
He was quickly transported by ambulance to the Natchitoches Regional Medical Center, but he ultimately succumbed to his injuries and was pronounced dead.
The ensuing investigation by the Criminal Investigations Division of the Natchitoches Police Department revealed that a physical altercation had broken out between Haskett and another individual, identified as Jaquarious Tyjuan Ardison, a 21-year-old Black male from Campti, Louisiana. During the fight, both men reportedly exchanged gunfire, which resulted in Haskett's death.
In the aftermath of the shooting, law enforcement identified Ardison as the suspect in Haskett's death. The Natchitoches Police Department secured a warrant for Ardison's arrest on the charge of first-degree murder. He was subsequently taken into custody and booked into the Natchitoches Parish Detention Center.
