In the late afternoon of Sunday, November 12, 2023, the parking lot of a YMCA on Knight Street in Shreveport, Louisiana, became the scene of a fatal shooting. Marvin Carter, a 24-year-old Black man, was leaving the facility with several other individuals shortly before 5:30 p.m. after playing basketball. As they made their way through the parking lot, gunfire erupted, striking Carter multiple times.
Emergency services were called to the scene, and Carter was rushed to Ochsner LSU Health Hospital. Despite the efforts of medical personnel, he succumbed to his injuries and was pronounced dead at 5:56 p.m. Another man was also wounded in the shooting and transported to a local hospital in critical condition.
The Shreveport Police Department launched an investigation into the shooting, which they determined was not a random act of violence. Investigators believe the suspects were waiting in a vehicle outside the YMCA, suggesting that the victims were targeted. The death of Marvin Carter was the 69th homicide in Shreveport and the 74th in Caddo Parish for 2023.
In the days following the shooting, the Caddo Parish Coroner's Office formally identified Marvin Carter as the deceased. While the investigation continued and authorities searched for the individuals responsible, no immediate arrests were made. The case remains under investigation as police continue to search for the suspects involved in the deadly shooting. Funeral services for Marvin Carter were held later that month, with a viewing at Precious Memories Mortuary Chapel and a celebration of his life at the Avenue Baptist Church before he was laid to rest at Round Grove Memorial Gardens Cemetery.
