Tajdryn Mikhel Forbes was a 19-year-old Black male from Bogalusa, Louisiana, described by his mother as "the glue to the family." A former superstar athlete for Bogalusa High School in both football and baseball, Forbes was working on an offshore oil platform at the time of his death. His family remembered him as a loving son and big brother who gave his mother courage and pushed her forward.
In the early morning hours of August 19, 2023, Forbes was visiting home.
He gave his mother, Naketra Guy, a kiss and said, “I’ll see you tomorrow,” before leaving her house on Florence Avenue to see his girlfriend. Just seconds later, around 1:30 a.m., Guy heard a barrage of gunfire. She ran outside and found her son lying face down in the middle of the road. Bogalusa Police Officers responded to reports of the shooting and found Forbes with severe injuries. He succumbed to his wounds and was pronounced deceased at the scene.
Detectives processing the sprawling crime scene located more than 50 shell casings of various calibers, indicating a violent and chaotic exchange of gunfire. The investigation led to a breakthrough on August 28, 2023, when police arrested 18-year-old Chaston Dyson, reportedly a cousin of Forbes. Dyson was booked on charges of Second Degree Murder, two counts of Attempted Second Degree Murder, Illegal Use of Dangerous Weapons, and Aggravated Criminal Damage to Property.
Authorities signaled that the investigation was ongoing and that more arrests were expected. On January 8, 2025, detectives arrested a second individual, 20-year-old Jaheim Leonte Hooks of Angie, Louisiana. He was apprehended as a fugitive in St. Tammany Parish and faced a similar slate of charges, including Second Degree Murder and two counts of Attempted Second Degree Murder. Hooks was transported to the Washington Parish jail and held without bond.
Following his arrest, Chaston Dyson pleaded guilty to the lesser charge of manslaughter and was sentenced to 20 years in prison. After Jaheim Hooks was taken into custody, a grand jury was convened to consider the charges against him. According to the district attorney's office, the grand jury could not reach a decision on an indictment. As of December 2025, one person had been convicted and sentenced for his role in the death of Tajdryn Forbes.
