Updated as of 9/04/2024 at 10:30 a.m. ET (Correction: The suspect is reportedly 11 years old, not 10 years old.)
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Residents in a small Louisiana city are wondering what went wrong to lead a young boy to kill one of the city’s notable community leaders.
Early Sunday morning, police responded to a call reporting shots fired around 6:30 a.m., according to KTBS News. When authorities arrived, they found 82-year-old Joe Cornelius and his daughter, Keisha Miles, 31, dead with multiple gunshot wounds.
In addition to unanswered questions about why someone would target Cornelius, who once served as interim mayor of Minden, La. in 2013, police were shocked to learn the suspect is just a 11-year-old boy.
Police initially reported the suspect was just 10 years old, but in a Tuesday interview, Minden Police Chief Jared McIver said police determined the boy’s correct age through his school system, according to NBC News.
The suspected murder weapons were found at the scene with their clips emptied and are currently undergoing forensic testing, according to officials. When police arrived at the scene, the juvenile suspect initially provided conflicting information to authorities. Eventually, the boy confessed to the crime during an official interview, per the Minden Press Herald.
“We’ve got a confession. But in these cases when you’re in, it’s very delicate. When you’re dealing with a child of this age— in their stage— we’re looking at was there motive? What was the motive? What what causes— what sparked it, since the victims were shot?” McIver told KTBS.
He continued: “We know where the firearm came from that was used...It’s one of those things that we’ve still got a lot of unanswered questions.” The young boy’s identity has not been released to the public. According to NBC News, the boy was related to Cornelius.
McIver did, however, say the juvenile had “mindset to commit a crime like this.” When the boy was questioned by police with his legal guardian present, he reportedly showed no remorse for the crime, according to KSLA News.
“...Everyone grieves differently. But I think we all know what grieving looks like and what it should look like and I just, you know, didn’t see it,” McIver said.
Police are still piecing together the events which directly led up to and followed the murders. Neighbors told KSLA an argument allegedly broke out between Cornelius and the suspect about credit card charges for video games, and the dispute could be heard from outside. This story has not yet been confirmed by investigators.
In response to Cornelius’ death, current Mayor Nick Cox said in a statement, “Joe Cornelius’s years of service to Minden were marked by his commitment and dedication to the betterment of our community.” He continued, “On a personal note, I am grateful for his friendship and the many ways he supported me and others in our city.”
A GoFundMe page has been set up by Miles’ son (Cornelius’ grandson) to help with funeral costs. The suspect is currently being held on two counts of first-degree murder. His bond was set at $500,000.
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