In the early hours of a Wednesday morning in Lafayette, Louisiana, a dispute between two men at the corner of Goldman and Division Streets turned fatal. On May 23, 2012, 22-year-old Isiah J. Morgan, Sr. was shot and killed. Witnesses at the scene reported seeing an argument escalate before one of the men produced a handgun and fired a single shot, striking Morgan. The shooter, described by onlookers as a tall, slender black male, fled the scene immediately after the incident.
Lafayette Police responded to a call around 12:30 a.m. and discovered Morgan lying deceased in the street.
The investigation into the death of Isiah Morgan quickly led to a person of interest. The following day, May 24, 2012, Lafayette Police arrested 20-year-old Wilbert J. Simon, Jr. in connection with the shooting. Simon was subsequently charged with second-degree murder. At the time of his arrest, authorities announced that the case was still actively under investigation as they continued to piece together the events that led to the deadly confrontation.
Isiah J. Morgan, Sr. was a resident of Lafayette. His death left behind a grieving family, including his wife, a son, and a daughter. Funeral services were held to honor his memory, and he was laid to rest in the St. Martin De Porres Cemetery in Scott, Louisiana. While an arrest was made swiftly, the ultimate legal resolution and the conclusion of the case against Wilbert J. Simon, Jr. were not detailed in the immediate news reports following the incident.
