Shooting leaves one dead, one critical

A 27-year-old Houma man became the first murder statistic of 2008 Sunday, according to the Terrebonne Parish Sheriff’s Office.

Detectives are investigating the death of Leslie Ross of Acklen Street in Houma. Deputies first learned of the shooting around 8:27 a.m. Sunday when a caller notified authorities about a shooting in the 2000 block of Patrick Street in Schriever, according to sheriff’s office spokesman Capt. Malcolm Wolfe.

Deputies arrived to find Ross’ body lying in the middle of the street. He was riddled with gunshot wounds, and was pronounced dead at the scene.

A second man, identified as 20-year-old Cartez Watkins of Thibodaux, was found in a field nearby suffering from several gunshot wounds. He was transported to a local hospital, where he underwent surgery and remained in critical condition Monday, authorities said.

Witnesses identified the shooter as Torrell Brown, 27, of 222 Patrick St. Brown, a native of the Napoleonville area, fled the scene, Wolfe said.

During their investigation, deputies learned that Brown had family living in the Napoleonville area.

“I made contact with the Napoleonville Police Department to locate and contact his family members,” Wolfe said. “Our efforts were successful and, within a couple of hours, Brown surrendered to the Assumption Parish Sheriff’s Office [Sunday afternoon].”

Once in custody, Terrebonne Parish sheriff’s deputies transported Brown back to the parish’s Criminal Justice Complex. He was charged with one count of second-degree murder and one count of attempted second-degree murder.

If convicted, Brown could face up to life imprisonment. He remains in the Terrebonne Parish jail in lieu of a $500,000 bond.

“Right now he is being charged with second-degree murder. But this could possibly change pending the outcome of the second [victim’s recovery],” Wolfe said.

Under second-degree murder statues, the District Attorney’s office does not have to prove premeditation. However, Wolfe said if the second victim dies, the charges would automatically go up to first-degree murder for multiple deaths.

Assumption Parish Sheriff’s officials said Brown has a previous criminal history including drug possession and carnal knowledge of a juvenile.

“This guy has a history of dealing drugs, and the one person that can verify that can’t talk to us at this time,” Wolfe said.

Investigators suspect that the shooting involved illegal narcotic activity, Wolfe said. The investigation is ongoing.