On a summer afternoon in Alexandria, Louisiana, a tragic event unfolded that cut short the life of a young mother. On Sunday, July 28, 2024, at approximately 2:35 PM, officers from the Alexandria Police Department were dispatched to the 2200 block of West Sycamore Street following reports of a shooting. Upon their arrival, they discovered a grim scene.
Twenty-three-year-old Kay’Irian Barber, a Black female, was found deceased, having sustained apparent gunshot wounds.
Alongside her was thirty-three-year-old Shawn Harper of Pineville, who was also deceased from gunshot wounds. A third individual was found at the scene with gunshot wounds and was transported to a local hospital in critical condition. The incident was immediately investigated as a domestic-related homicide. While authorities have not officially confirmed the sequence of events, multiple sources at the scene described the incident as a murder-suicide. One source has since marked the case as solved, indicating that the primary suspect is deceased.
Kay’Irian Barber was born on June 19, 2001. She was a mother to two sons and was pursuing a certificate in coding at Central Louisiana Technical Community College, where she was also employed. Friends and family remembered her as a devout Christian.
The Alexandria Police Department has stated that the investigation into the deaths of Kay’Irian Barber and Shawn Harper is ongoing. Authorities have appealed to the public for any information regarding the incident. As of the latest available information, no arrests have been made, which aligns with the theory that the suspect was one of the deceased individuals found at the scene. The community awaits further details from law enforcement as they continue to piece together the final moments that led to this tragedy.
