On January 12th, 2017 at approximately 3:00 pm, the St. James Parish Sheriff’s Office received a call regarding a shooting that had taken place on Church Lane in Vacherie, LA. Upon arriving at the scene, deputies discovered two individuals had been shot while near the intersection of Church St. and Church Lane. The two subjects shot sustained nonlife threatening injuries. One of the victims received a gunshot wound to his left hand and the other received a gunshot wound in the lower left buttocks. The individual who was shot in the lower left buttocks was taken by AirMed to University Hospital in New Orleans, LA. The victim who was shot in the hand was taken by Acadian Ambulance to St. James Parish Hospital. The victims stated that while they were walking on Church Lane, a dark colored vehicle stopped and the individuals in the vehicle began to shoot at them. The car then fled the scene. While the shooting was taking place, a St. James Parish School Bus was nearby conducting its afternoon route to drop off students. No students on the bus were injured, nor was the bus struck by gunfire. The two victims were not passengers on the school bus, nor had been dropped off. The ages of the victims are 18 years old and 17 years old. Detectives are continuing their investigation regarding the shooting incident. Anyone having information regarding this incident are encouraged to contact the St. James Parish Sheriff’s Office at 225-562-2200 or CrimeStoppers at 1-877-903-STOP.
Released by: Sheriff Willy Martin, Jr.