SHREVEPORT, La. – Shreveport Mayor Tom Arceneaux released the following statement on Saturday afternoon regarding the recent acts of violence in the city.
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You know by now that the city of Shreveport has been rocked by unspeakable acts of violence all week. This week’s shootings at the Villa Norte Apartments, South Lakeshore Drive, Clear Horizon Apartments and this week at Cedar Grove, as well as the overnight shooting of multiple victims on the 1800 block of Logan Street and the 200 block of Texas Street can and will not tolerated by the city of Shreveport and its mostly law-abiding citizens.
As we continue to pray for the victims of these crimes, it is important that our citizens know that the city will do everything in its power to both apprehend the perpetrators of these crimes and prevent other crimes from happening. Mayor Tom Arceneaux has directed the Shreveport Police Department and other departments to deploy additional cameras in crime-heavy locations.
In addition, he has exercised the powers of the United States government to investigate criminal conspiracies falling within the purview of the federal Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO). The city believes many of the recent violent activities may fall under the RICO statute, which has extremely severe penalties.
RICO includes violations of state statutes against homicide, robbery, and trafficking in a controlled substance or listed chemical. The City believes that the activities of many violent crime perpetrators constitute offenses eligible for prosecution under RICO, and the Shreveport Police Department will work with federal authorities to provide evidence in support of that prosecution.
Mayor Arceneaux and SPD leader Wayne Smith are also speaking with the Louisiana State Police (LSP) about using their help in investigating these violent crimes to bring perpetrators to justice more quickly.
The Shreveport Police Department has a suspect in custody in connection with the 200 Texas Street incident and is continuing its investigation to determine if the two shootings last night and this morning were somehow connected.
The SPD, Shreveport Downtown Development Authority, Shreveport City Council and the Arceneaux government condemn these senseless acts of violence and all criminal organizations behind them. Mayor Arceneaux, DDA’s Liz Swaine, Shreveport Sheriff Wayne Smith and Council Member Gary Brooks will hold a press conference at 3:00pm today on the 200 block of Texas Street.
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