In the quiet early moments of a late December weekend in Ruston, Louisiana, the stillness was broken by the sound of gunfire at the Park Ridge Estates. When police arrived at the townhouse complex off West Alabama Avenue just after midnight, they discovered a grim scene. Two men had been shot in the head. One man, Robert Thompson of Jonesboro, was found on the ground near a vehicle, while the other, 27-year-old Tracy Hampton of Arcadia, was inside an idling car nearby.
Both men were
rushed to Northern Louisiana Medical Center and later airlifted to Ochsner LSU Health in Shreveport. Thompson succumbed to his injuries that same day. Hampton, however, clung to life and was placed on life support. For a few days, his fate hung in the balance, but he ultimately passed away on December 31, 2023. The incident was quickly classified as a double homicide, prompting an intensive investigation by the Ruston Police Department.
As detectives delved into the case, they explored potential connections to other violent crimes in the region. It was suggested that the shooting might have been an act of retaliation. Thompson was reportedly a person of interest in a homicide that had occurred in Jackson Parish months earlier. This connection fueled speculation about the motive behind the brutal slayings at Park Ridge Estates.
For months, the case remained under investigation as authorities sought help from the public to identify those responsible. Then, in early July 2024, a breakthrough occurred. The Ruston Police Department announced the arrest of 41-year-old David Ray Teron Taylor. Taylor, a resident of Estate Lane in Ruston, lived just yards from where the shooting took place. He was taken into custody and booked into the Lincoln Parish Detention Center on warrants for two counts of second-degree murder and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. His bail was set at $2.75 million.
