In the pre-dawn hours of Monday, January 30, 2023, a burst of gunfire shattered the early morning quiet in the parking lot of a Waffle House on Rieger Road in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Inside a car riddled with bullets, authorities would discover the bodies of two men, one of whom was 33-year-old Leonard Leslie. The male victim and his companion, 37-year-old Horace Watson, were pronounced dead at the scene when deputies from the East Baton Rouge Sheriff's Office arrived around 3 a.m.
following a report of shots fired.
The vehicle the two men occupied was heavily damaged, with numerous bullet holes piercing the windows and doors. Spent shell casings littered the area surrounding the car, and some stray bullets had even struck the nearby restaurant. Investigators believe the attack was a targeted ambush, with witnesses telling reporters that the shooter or shooters appeared to have been waiting for the victims.
In the immediate aftermath of the shooting, law enforcement officials began an investigation into the double homicide. The East Baton Rouge Sheriff's Office urged anyone with information to come forward and contact them or Crime Stoppers. At the time of the initial reports, authorities had not publicly identified any suspects, and no arrests had been announced in connection with the killings. The investigation was described as ongoing.
Leonard Michael Leslie, known to friends and family as 'Dookie,' was born on May 24, 1989. A graduate of John McDonald Senior High School, he worked as a laborer and was the father of two children. His life was tragically cut short in the violent encounter, leaving behind his family and friends to mourn their loss.
