Three more arrests made in teen's killing at Port Allen football game; 2 minors facing charges
UPDATE: Jarrettin Jackson II was formally charged Wednesday in the killing of 15-year-old Ja'Kobe Queen. See the full story here.
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PORT ALLEN - Three more people, including two minors, are facing criminal charges after a 15-year-old was gunned down at a high school football game over the weekend.
The West Baton Rouge Rouge Sheriff's Office announced Tuesday the arrests of Jaylen Smith, 18, and a pair of unnamed minors, currently held in separate juvenile detention centers. Smith was booked for obstruction of justice, manslaughter, and disturbing the peace by fistic encounter.
One juvenile was booked for manslaughter and disturbing the peace by fistic encounter. The other was booked for obstruction of justice.
The additional arrests were announced a day after deputies arrested the suspected shooter, 18-year-old Jarrettin Jackson II, who is facing charges of second-degree murder and attempted second-degree murder.
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Jackson allegedly shot and killed 15-year-old Ja'Kobe Queen, a Brusly High student, around halftime of the Port Allen High-Brusly High football game Friday night. An innocent bystander, a 28-year-old woman, was also struck in the arm and survived the shooting.
"This kid was going to get a cold drink at a concession stand, and a thug decided to end his life," Sheriff Mike Cazes said.
At the shooting scene, deputies found a modified handgun and several spent shell casings. Cazes noted that security had been doubled at the stadium on the night of the shooting, adding that several deputies were just feet away from where the shooting happened.
"They had six deputies behind this guy when he pulled the gun out," Cazes explained. "We could be 100 to 10, in your mind when you're ready to kill, you're gonna kill."
The department said the shooting stemmed from an argument but would not confirm rumors that the confrontation stemmed from an online feud. Despite that, District Attorney Tony Clayton had a strong warning for anyone involved in such activity.
"If they're out there on social media and they're 'gang whispering,' for lack of a better term, then we will be on top of it," Clayton said. "Parents, monitor your kids' social media. Monitor their behavior. Look in their rooms, if they got guns I'm telling you [deputies] are coming for them."
The DA also suggested that his office could pursue anyone withholding information about the shooting or similar crimes, even if they are not directly involved.
"It's a form of organized crime, and we've got a little saying, 'when they go low, we go RICO.' So we plan on putting together an organized effort with them with their organized criminal behavior, and everybody who aids and abets in it will be just as guilty as principals," Clayton said.
The West Baton Rouge School System said Monday that it would have extra security and trauma counselors on its campuses this week.