Shreveport Teen to be Tried as Adult in 2021 Theater Shooting

A fourth Caddo Parish teenager involved in a high-profile firearm slaying will face indictment and prosecution as an adult.

A continued custody hearing in Caddo Juvenile Court January 17, 2023 determined that prosecution of Rodney Lewis Jr., 16, could be transferred to Caddo District Court.

Lewis was arrested Sunday by Shreveport Police after he was found in the Caddo Parish Juvenile Detention Center for illegal possession of a stolen vehicle used in the shooting of a 4-year-old girl earlier in the week.

Lewis faces charges in connection with the second-degree murder of 13-year-old Kelvonte Daigre, who died as the result of a shooting September 4, 2021, near Tinseltown, on Bert Kouns Industrial Loop near Youree Drive. He also faces eight counts of attempted first-degree murder of eight other individuals that night, including three other youths ages 5, 15 and 16, as well as a charge of illegal use of weapon. At least seven of the eight attempted first-degree murder victims were innocent bystanders merely waiting for the red light to change or otherwise traveling through the intersection.

Caddo Parish Assistant District Attorney Jerry Deason Jr. presented evidence in the continued custody hearing before Judge Natalie Howell in Caddo Juvenile Court.

As with other teens arrested in connection with the slaying, Lewis can be tried as an adult under provisions of Louisiana Children’s Code Article 305, which allows a District Attorney to have jurisdiction of certain juvenile offenders age 15 or older transferred to District Court.

The other teens associated with the Tinseltown incident whose cases were transferred to Caddo District Court are Christopher Davenport and Ikerryunta Stewart, both now 18, and Ja’Shun Smith, 17.

If convicted of second-degree murder, the teens face life in prison at hard labor without the benefit of parole, probation or suspension of sentence.