In the autumn of 2016, the life of 32-year-old Keldric Cheney, a Black male from Alexandria, Louisiana, was tragically cut short. On the evening of October 6, 2016, Cheney was fatally shot in the 1400 block of Fenner Street. Following the shooting, he was transported in a private vehicle to CHRISTUS St. Frances Cabrini Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
The Alexandria Police Department promptly launched an investigation into the homicide.
Their efforts quickly identified a primary suspect: 28-year-old Christopher Darnell Shackleford. Shackleford was known to have a prior violent criminal record in Rapides Parish. As law enforcement closed in, the situation escalated dramatically.
Members of the U.S. Marshals Violent Offender Task Force tracked Shackleford to the England Apartments on Dublin Road. When they attempted to apprehend him, a tense standoff ensued. Shackleford barricaded himself inside an apartment, and shots were reportedly fired as the marshals approached. The area was cordoned off as a significant police presence, including SWAT teams and the sheriff's office's mobile command unit, converged on the scene. For several hours, law enforcement officials and even Shackleford's own family members attempted to negotiate his peaceful surrender.
The standoff reached a violent conclusion when Shackleford exited the apartment building, firing a weapon. In the ensuing exchange, he was shot and killed by law enforcement officers. The investigation into the officer-involved shooting that resulted in Shackleford's death was subsequently handed over to the Louisiana State Police.
