In the fading daylight of December 22, 2017, a burst of gunfire shattered the evening calm on DeJean Circle in Crowley, Louisiana. When the chaos subsided, three men lay wounded, among them 47-year-old Howard Ray Clayborne. He, along with Gregory Troy Gray and Troy Harmon, were sitting outside a residence when they were ambushed by two masked individuals who emerged suddenly and began shooting.
The brazen attack, which occurred around 5:20 p.m.
near the parish jail, left all three men in critical condition. They were rushed to Lafayette-area hospitals for urgent medical care. Inside the home, a two-year-old child was discovered unharmed, a silent witness to the violence that had unfolded just outside. Clayborne, an African American man, fought for his life for nearly two weeks before succumbing to his injuries on January 4, 2018, turning a violent assault into a homicide investigation.
In the immediate aftermath, Crowley Police Chief Jimmy Broussard appealed to the public for assistance, as investigators worked to piece together the events of that tragic evening. The motive for the shooting remained elusive, and the identities of the two masked assailants were unknown. Authorities explored potential connections to another shooting that had taken place just a week prior on Mill Street and South Parkerson Avenue, seeking to understand if a larger conflict was at play.
Despite the ongoing investigation and pleas for information, no suspects have been publicly identified or arrested in connection with the murder of Howard Ray Clayborne. The case has grown cold, leaving a family to mourn and a community with unanswered questions about the senseless act of violence that claimed his life. The search for justice for Howard Ray Clayborne continues, a somber reminder of a life cut short.
