In a tragic turn of events on a Tuesday night in Independence, Louisiana, 38-year-old April Ransom, a female, lost her life in a violent encounter. The incident, which stunned the local community, unfolded at Angie's Bar on Old Highway 51 North just before 10:30 p.m. on December 15, 2015. April, a mother to a son and a daughter, was fatally shot multiple times inside the establishment, which was open for business at the time.
The perpetrator was identified as her 35-year-old estranged
husband, Thomas Ransom. He entered the bar and opened fire, not only killing April but also another man present, 43-year-old Joseph Cormier. Witnesses at the scene reported that Thomas Ransom shot both victims multiple times before turning the gun on himself and taking his own life. The entire event was captured on video surveillance within the bar, which corroborated the witness accounts.
When Independence Police arrived at the scene following a 911 call, they discovered the three unresponsive adults on the floor of the bar. All three, including April and her estranged husband, were pronounced dead at the scene. The Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff's Office was called in to process the crime scene. The incident was characterized as a double murder and suicide, and it was noted by the police chief at the time as the only murder he could recall in Independence in the preceding six years.
