In the summer of 2017, a dispute in Shreveport, Louisiana, turned fatal, claiming the life of 68-year-old Edward Lawrence. On the afternoon of June 19th, police responded to a call of a shooting in the 300 block of West 80th Street. Upon arrival, they discovered Lawrence with at least one gunshot wound to his chest. He was quickly transported to University Health Hospital, but his injuries proved to be too severe, and he was pronounced dead.
Investigators at the scene soon identified a
suspect in the shooting death of the male victim. Information gathered by the Shreveport Police Violent Crimes Investigators pointed to Travis L. Jackson as the individual responsible for firing the fatal shots that killed Edward Lawrence. According to the preliminary investigation, a heated argument between Jackson and Lawrence escalated, culminating in the deadly shooting. After the incident, Jackson fled the scene in what was described as a gold or tan Chevrolet Suburban SUV. A warrant for 2nd Degree Murder was promptly issued for his arrest, with a bond set at $850,000.
The manhunt for Travis L. Jackson was short-lived. The day after the shooting, a coordinated effort by the Shreveport Police Violent Crimes Unit, the Caddo-Shreveport Narcotics Task Force, and the U.S. Marshal's Fugitive Task Force led to his capture. Acting on information regarding Jackson's whereabouts, officers conducted a traffic stop near the intersection of Southern Avenue and 70th Street in Shreveport and took him into custody without incident.
Following his arrest, Travis Jackson faced the judicial system for the murder of Edward Lawrence. In August 2017, a grand jury indicted him on one count of second-degree murder. The case proceeded to trial in the fall of 2020. After hearing the evidence presented, a jury found Travis Jackson guilty as charged. Subsequently, the court sentenced him to a mandatory life sentence in prison at hard labor, without the possibility of parole. Jackson later appealed his conviction, but in January 2022, the guilty verdict and his life sentence were affirmed, bringing a final resolution to the case.
