In the quiet setting of a Westwego playground, a young man's life was tragically cut short. Zashaun Espinoza, a 26-year-old male, was on a covered basketball court at Fred Dorsey Playground on Norton Street on the afternoon of Wednesday, April 30, 2025, when he was shot multiple times. First responders arrived at the scene around 1:35 p.m. to find him with fatal wounds; he was pronounced dead at the scene.
Witnesses reported seeing a man flee the area immediately after the shooting, prompting a search for the person responsible for this sudden act of violence.
The investigation into the death of Zashaun Espinoza took an unusual turn when a tip led police to a surprising development. The suspected shooter, 22-year-old Byron Spottsville of Westwego, had returned to the playground while the police were still actively investigating the crime scene. In a bizarre twist, he was wearing only a towel when he was taken into custody by the authorities. Initially, Spottsville denied any involvement in the shooting. However, he later confessed to the crime, telling investigators that he believed Espinoza had been armed.
Following his confession, Byron Spottsville led investigators to a wooded area near the playground where he had concealed the firearm used in the shooting and had discarded his clothes. He reportedly told police that he had found the towel he was wearing on the porch of a nearby home. Spottsville was subsequently booked into the Jefferson Parish Correctional Center in Gretna on charges of second-degree murder and obstruction of justice. He was held without bail.
