KEY POINTS
- The groom, Devin Jose Jones, 30, shot his friend in the leg
- The bride wasn't shot, thanks to medical emergency workers who provided her cover
- Jones faces multiple charges
A Louisiana groom shot his friend over the weekend after accusing his wife of having an affair with the victim, authorities said.
The groom, identified as Devin Jose Jones, 30, of Alexandria was driving a car on Interstate 10 with his newlywed bride and his friend as passengers. Jones got into an argument with his friend, who was in the backseat of the vehicle, over his alleged affair with the bride, resulting in the friend and the bride trying to flee the vehicle, St. John Parish Sheriff Mike Tregre told WGNO.
Following this, Jones chased the victim on foot and shot him in the leg. Sheriff Tregre said a stray bullet flew through the rear windshield of another vehicle, which was stuck in the traffic jam, hitting an uninvolved motorist in the hand. The motorist's two children, aged14 and 16, were also there in the vehicle.
Both victims were airlifted to a New Orleans hospital and were in stable condition, L'Observateur reported. Some emergency medical workers who were at the scene provided cover to the bride inside an ambulance, helping her escape getting shot.
Jones was arrested on the scene and charged with two counts of criminal damage to property, illegal use of weapons or dangerous instrumentalities, aggravated second-degree battery and attempted second-degree murder.
The incident, which occurred at around 10:30 p.m. ET, caused traffic congestion reaching one mile by 11 p.m., the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development said in a tweet.
The interstate was closed for over an hour following the shooting. "Our officers reacted bravely and accurately and took the suspect into custody with minimal personal damage," Tregre told CBS 4. "It is a testament to the training our young men and women do and I am very proud of each and every one of them."
Some drivers who witnessed the shooting described the scene on social media. "Yes, this is real!!!" Brian Chappell Jr. wrote on Facebook. "There is a bad accident that shut the bridge down and while the accident was being handled someone got out of their vehicle and started approaching other vehicles and shooting innocent people sitting in their cars stuck in traffic!!!"
Representation. A gun. Photo: Pixabay
