On the evening of March 18, 2026, 26-year-old Mitchell Ventress of Denham Springs was found deceased in the driver's seat of his vehicle in the parking lot of a McDonald's on Highway 16 in Watson. An investigation by the Livingston Parish Sheriff's Office determined that Ventress had died from a gunshot wound.
According to witness statements, two males were seen exiting the passenger side of Ventress's vehicle after a gunshot was heard. Investigators identified a suspect vehicle which was later located in the Central area of East Baton Rouge Parish. A traffic stop was conducted, and two individuals, 25-year-old Kevonta Dennis and 26-year-old Keondra McNeely, both of Baton Rouge, were detained.
Further investigation led to the execution of a search warrant at an apartment on Sully Drive in East Baton Rouge Parish. Following the search and further questioning, a third suspect, 39-year-old Keedrick Jack of Baton Rouge, was also arrested. The investigation suggests that Dennis and Jack had arranged to meet Ventress in the McDonald's parking lot to purchase narcotics. During this meeting, Ventress was shot and killed.
All three suspects, Kevonta Dennis, Keondra McNeely, and Keedrick Jack, were initially held in an East Baton Rouge Parish facility before being transported to the Livingston Parish Detention Center for processing. The investigation into the death of Mitchell Ventress is ongoing.
