In the late afternoon of October 28, 2015, a dispute on Morgan Street in Houma, Louisiana, escalated into a burst of gunfire that left 18-year-old Corey Butler dead. When police arrived at the scene around 4:15 p.m., they discovered Butler on the ground with multiple gunshot wounds. He was rushed to a nearby medical facility but was pronounced dead. The male victim was a native and resident of Houma.
The investigation that followed revealed the shooting was the result of a violent confrontation involving at least five men. The conflict, described by prosecutors as a 'turf war,' was reportedly instigated by Butler’s decision to sell drugs in a territory controlled by another individual, Maurice Banks. An altercation between the two escalated, leading to a shootout in broad daylight that injured three other men in addition to killing Butler. A 19-year-old was shot in the shoulder, a 24-year-old suffered multiple gunshot wounds, and a 25-year-old was shot in the face. Banks sustained a gunshot wound to the jaw, and another man, Anthony Sylvester, was left paralyzed after being shot in the back.
The investigation led to the arrest of Elward Williams Jr. on October 30, 2015, after police tracked him to an apartment complex in Baton Rouge using GPS software. Witnesses reported that Williams stood over Butler, who had already been shot in the leg by Sylvester, and fired his weapon before fleeing the scene with the injured Banks and Sylvester. In July 2018, Williams was convicted of second-degree murder for the death of Corey Butler and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. He was subsequently sentenced to a mandatory life in prison. His appeal, which argued insufficient evidence, was rejected by the Louisiana 1st Circuit Court of Appeal in June 2019. Maurice Banks was sentenced to 30 years in prison as a habitual offender in 2017, and Anthony Sylvester pleaded guilty to manslaughter in August 2018, receiving a 15-year prison sentence.
