On the night of November 20, 2025, at an apartment complex on Hanks Drive in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, 23-year-old male Byron Horton was shot multiple times and died from his injuries. Deputies with the East Baton Rouge Sheriff’s Office were called around 9 p.m. to the La Playa/La Playa Place Apartments at 6515 Hanks Drive, near Airline Highway, after reports of gunfire inside the complex.
When first responders arrived, they found Horton with multiple gunshot wounds and numerous shell casings scattered nearby; he was pronounced dead at the scene.
Early coverage indicated that law enforcement initially believed multiple suspects were involved. Surveillance footage from the area later showed several individuals gathered near the front door of one of the apartments shortly before gunfire erupted. The video captured more than one person firing weapons near a white Honda Civic parked outside and near the front doors of two apartments, suggesting a chaotic burst of gunfire rather than a single, isolated shot.
The day after the shooting, detectives executed a search warrant at the apartment where the incident appeared to have originated. Inside, they found two men, identified as 22-year-old Darrel Thomas and 21-year-old Matalius Thomas, along with several firearms and a quantity of marijuana. According to arrest records summarized in local reporting, both men denied knowing anything about the weapons when questioned. However, witness statements and the surveillance footage became critical: witnesses later identified Darrel as the person who used a handgun to intentionally open fire on Horton before retreating back into the apartment, a sequence that investigators said matched what they had observed on video.
Based on that evidence, authorities charged Darrel Thomas with second-degree murder, along with illegal carrying of weapons and possession of marijuana. Both Darrel and Matalius were taken into custody and booked into the East Baton Rouge Parish Prison on multiple charges, including second-degree murder, according to reports citing arrest records and the sheriff’s office. While early articles emphasized that multiple suspects were being sought in the immediate aftermath of the shooting, subsequent coverage has focused primarily on the arrests of Darrel and Matalius Thomas as the key developments in the case. Officials have not publicly released a detailed account of any additional suspects beyond those already arrested, nor have they disclosed a clear motive for the killing.
In the days that followed, Horton’s death was recorded by the National Gun Violence Memorial as yet another loss to gun violence in Louisiana, listing his name, age, and the date and city of his killing. Obituaries and funeral notices from Baton Rouge funeral providers and memorial websites announced a celebration of life service for him at Hall’s Celebration Center on Scenic Highway in early December 2025, inviting family, friends, and community members to honor his memory and share condolences.
