In the late hours of a Sunday evening in LaPlace, Louisiana, the life of 22-year-old Shane Chopin was tragically cut short. On October 8, 2017, deputies responded to a call of a shooting in the 800 block of West Airline Highway. Arriving at the scene at approximately 11:35 p.m., they discovered Chopin's body behind a garbage dumpster. He had sustained several gunshot wounds, and despite the efforts of emergency medical services, he was pronounced dead at the scene.
The investigation into
the death of the young man led St. John the Baptist Parish Sheriff's Office detectives to identify several individuals believed to be involved. Within days of the shooting, three suspects were taken into custody. Clarensio Lintrell Bolden, 26, of Garyville was arrested for second-degree murder. Deschad Matthews, 21, of LaPlace, and Ronte Murray, 19, also from LaPlace, were both charged with principal to second-degree murder. The investigation was complex, with authorities noting that some community members had provided misleading information and false alibis for those involved.
As the investigation continued, two more arrests were made in connection with Chopin's death. Kyron Joseph, 21, of LaPlace, was arrested on October 27, 2017, and Jermaine Michael Tuircuit Jr., 21, also of LaPlace, was taken into custody on November 3, 2017. Both Joseph and Tuircuit faced charges of principal to second-degree murder and criminal conspiracy to distribute a schedule 1 substance. While a motive for the shooting was not immediately released, the arrests brought a total of five individuals to face charges in the killing of Shane Chopin.
