In February of 2024, a gathering around a barbeque grill in Shreveport, Louisiana, turned deadly. At this gathering near the intersection of Broadway Avenue and Cleveland Avenue, 29-year-old Dwight Green was shot and killed. The man responsible for the fatal shooting was 32-year-old Fatonious Darell Ballard.
Following the shooting of Dwight Green, another individual present at the scene took action, shooting Ballard in the leg before he could escape.
This act led to Ballard's apprehension. Subsequently, the Caddo District Attorney's office prosecuted the case against him. The prosecution team was composed of Assistant District Attorneys William Edwards and Kodie K. Smith. Ballard was defended by attorneys Casey Simpson and Caleb Traylor.
In October 2025, a jury in the Caddo District Court delivered its verdict. After reviewing the evidence presented, the jury unanimously found Fatonious Darell Ballard guilty of the second-degree murder of Dwight Green. In addition to the murder conviction, Ballard was also found guilty of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. Following the conviction, Ballard was scheduled to return to court on October 21st for post-trial motions. The conviction for second-degree murder carries a mandatory life sentence without the possibility of probation, parole, or suspension of sentence. The firearm conviction adds a potential sentence of five to twenty years at hard labor.
