On a December evening in Harvey, Louisiana, a stray bullet tragically ended the life of 15-year-old Shamairie Joseph. The young girl, a female who harbored aspirations of becoming a gynecologist or pediatrician, was inside an apartment in the 1600 block of Apache Drive on December 22, 2015, holding a toddler, when the fatal shot penetrated the wall and struck her in the chest.
The bullet was not intended for her.
It was fired by 20-year-old Romalis Levier, who was engaged in an ongoing dispute with another individual. Levier was retaliating for a previous shooting when he opened fire on Emmett Garrison IV. One of the bullets missed its intended target and found its way into the nearby apartment, claiming the innocent life of Shamairie. In the same incident, a 16-year-old boy was wounded.
In the wake of the shooting, an investigation led to the arrest of Levier. As his trial was set to begin, Levier chose to plead guilty to manslaughter for Shamairie's death. He also pleaded guilty to the attempted second-degree murder of Garrison and obstruction of justice. For these crimes, he accepted the maximum sentence of 40 years in prison.
During the court proceedings, Shamairie's mother and aunt delivered emotional impact statements, expressing their profound grief and the void left by her absence. In a poignant moment, Shamairie's mother stood in the courtroom, faced her daughter's killer, and through tears, told him, 'I forgive you…but I will never forget, because she is never coming back.' Levier, in turn, read a prepared statement apologizing for his actions, to which Shamairie's mother, seated in the audience, audibly responded, 'I forgive you.' Two other individuals were also accused of attempting to destroy evidence connected to the fatal shooting.
