Woman dead after apparent homicide in Independence; law enforcement investigating

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INDEPENDENCE - An 18-year-old woman was shot dead Friday at an apartment complex in Tangipahoa Parish. 

The parish sheriff's office said the Independence Police Department was called to the scene at an apartment complex on 1st Street where someone was reported to be unresponsive. Officers found the woman dead from a gunshot wound.

According to Sheriff Gerald Sticker, the shots came from outside the house. He said that this might have been a gang-related shooting.

The Independence Police Department was called around 9:15 a.m. and the sheriff's office was told about the shooting around 9:30 a.m. A disturbance call came in from the same neighborhood around 2 a.m., but Sticker said he was unsure if the two were connected. 

Nearby apartments were evacuated while officials investigated the area, Sticker said.