In the late morning of September 19, 2025, the discovery of a running, unoccupied car behind the Triangle Market on Scenic Highway in Baton Rouge prompted a call to the police for a suspicious incident. Responding officers began a search of the area, which led to a grim finding in a bushy area behind the business. There, they located the body of 25-year-old James Lee Critney.
It was immediately apparent that his death was not from natural causes; he had sustained a fatal gunshot wound.
Investigators at the scene began to piece together the events that led to Critney's demise. Preliminary findings suggested that a physical altercation had occurred just before the shooting. Critney's family was left reeling, expressing their shock and disbelief that anyone would want to harm him. They described him as someone not involved in any trouble and were baffled as to why he was at that particular location on Scenic Highway, far from his home in the Gardere area. The car found running at the scene belonged to his father, and nothing appeared to have been stolen from it. The initial lack of a clear motive left both the family and law enforcement searching for answers, questioning whether he was targeted or the victim of a random act of violence.
The investigation progressed, and through their efforts, detectives identified a person of interest. DeAndre Swayzer, 36, became the focus of the homicide investigation. According to police reports, video surveillance from the area captured a verbal altercation between Swayzer and Critney. The footage reportedly showed Swayzer producing a handgun and threatening Critney. Shortly after the two men moved out of the camera's view, a single gunshot was heard. Following an interview with detectives, Swayzer admitted to shooting Critney and then fleeing the scene. In November 2025, DeAndre Swayzer was arrested and booked into the East Baton Rouge Parish Prison. He was charged with second-degree murder and illegal use of a weapon in connection with the death of James Lee Critney.
