In the late hours of a December weekend in Reserve, Louisiana, a violent altercation cut short the life of 29-year-old Demario Gray. On Saturday, December 12, 2015, gunfire erupted in the 1100 block of Highway LA 44. When St. John the Baptist Parish Sheriff's Office deputies arrived at the scene around 12:15 p.m., they discovered one man wounded. A second gunshot victim, later identified as Gray, was transported to Ochsner River Parish emergency room by a private vehicle.
Both men were subsequently taken to a New Orleans area hospital for treatment. However, Demario Gray succumbed to his injuries on Sunday, December 13, 2015, marking the sixth homicide of the year in the parish.
The investigation into the shooting led to the arrests of two men, Juan Alexander, then 38, of LaPlace, and Bryant Hayes Jr., 28, of Reserve. The tragic incident reportedly occurred at a closed grocery store where Alexander was filming a music video. According to Alexander's account, Gray and several others arrived in a multi-vehicle caravan, blocking his exit and escalating the situation into a violent shootout. Another man, a 30-year-old from Reserve, also sustained gunshot wounds to his hand and stomach during the melee.
In the ensuing legal proceedings, Juan Alexander faced a jury in a three-day trial in June 2018. He was found not guilty of second-degree murder but was convicted of attempted manslaughter, possession of a weapon by a convicted felon, and illegal use of a weapon. Prosecutors successfully argued for Alexander to be sentenced as a habitual offender, leading to an increased sentence. In February 2019, he was sentenced to 35 years for attempted manslaughter, 15 years for being a felon in possession of a firearm, and three years for illegal use of a weapon, with the sentences to be served concurrently.
The second suspect, Bryant Hayes Jr., reached a plea agreement with prosecutors. In December 2018, he pleaded guilty to a reduced charge of aggravated battery. As part of this agreement, charges of attempted second-degree murder, illegal use of weapons, and possession of a weapon by a convicted felon were dismissed.
