In the spring of 2016, a promising young life was tragically cut short in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Lashuntae Benton, a 19-year-old sophomore and dedicated student athletic trainer at Southern University, was killed on Sunday, April 10, 2016. The incident occurred at The Cottages apartment complex on Ben Hur Drive, a location not typically associated with violent crime, where she and other members of the university's track team had gathered.
Lashuntae, who was from Lake Charles, was an
innocent bystander caught in the crossfire of a shootout between at least two individuals. The gunfire erupted at what was described as a party at the off-campus apartment complex. Also killed in the shooting was another Southern University student, 19-year-old Annette January, a freshman on the track and field team. Autopsy results later revealed that Lashuntae had sustained a gunshot wound to the head and another to her arm.
In the wake of the shooting, authorities arrested 22-year-old Ernest Bernard Felton, a former football player for Southern University. He was taken into custody and charged with attempted second-degree murder and illegal use of a weapon. Investigators believed the shooting stemmed from a prior dispute. According to a witness, Felton allegedly initiated the gunfire, firing at a vehicle as it approached the gathering. The man in the vehicle was wounded in the exchange. Ballistic analysis was ordered to determine who fired the shots that killed the two young women.
The deaths of Lashuntae and Annette sent shockwaves through the Southern University community and deeply affected their families. Lashuntae's mother described her daughter as outgoing, beautiful, athletic, and generous, a great child who simply wanted to get an education. The university held a candlelight vigil in their memory and the Southern University System Foundation established a memorial fund to support the families of both victims. In a posthumous tribute, the Southern University System's board voted to award degrees to both Lashuntae Benton and Annette January.
