On the evening of Friday, April 22, 2011, 20-year-old LaTevin Charles 'Tevin' Bankston, an African-American male, had just finished his workday and was on his way home in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Shortly before 10 p.m., he and two friends made a stop at a local convenience store called the Fuel Zone. Inside the store, the three young men were seen engaging in a conversation with an unidentified Black female.
After their interaction, the woman exited the store and entered a blue vehicle where a Black male was waiting.
As Bankston and his friends left the store and got into their own car, the male in the blue vehicle opened fire on them with a high-powered rifle. A projectile struck Bankston in the head, causing a catastrophic injury. His two friends, who were miraculously unharmed, immediately drove him to a nearby hospital. The shooter and the unidentified female fled the scene.
Upon arrival at Our Lady of the Lake hospital, medical staff determined that Bankston had no brain activity. His family was faced with the devastating decision to remove him from life support. LaTevin Bankston was pronounced dead at 1:47 p.m. the following day, Saturday, April 23, 2011.
In the wake of the shooting, the Baton Rouge Police Department launched an investigation. They released a surveillance image of the unidentified female who had spoken with Bankston and his friends moments before the fatal encounter, hoping the public could help identify her. Detectives believe there were numerous witnesses to the shooting, both inside the store and in the parking lot, but have stated that no one has come forward with information. To date, no arrests have been made in the murder of LaTevin Bankston, and his case remains an open and unsolved homicide.
