On Thursday, January 25, 2024, a Lafayette jury found Eldridge Thomas, Jr. guilty of Attempted Second Degree Murder of 54-year-old John Cedric Chaisson, stemming from a 2018 shooting near Westside Elementary School in Scott, the 15th Judicial District announced today.
According to Darlene Monette, Legal Assistant, Thomas, Jr. was also found guilty of Home lnvasion, Aggravated Flight from an Officer, and Aggravated Burglary. District Judge Cynthia Spadoni ordered that a Pre-Sentence lnvestigation from Louisiana Department of Corrections be completed by April 4 of 2024.
The shooting occurred on September 4, 2018, at 7:32 am on Marina Avenue, just a block from the elementary school, as parents and children were walking to school. The shooting resulted in the lockdown of the school until Thomas Jr. was apprehended by authorities. School bus video and the victim's home surveillance video revealed that Thomas Jr. fired a handgun numerous times at Chaisson, with one round striking the victim, as maintained by Monette. Chaisson was taken to a local hospital for treatment and survived.
According to Scott Police Department Detective Brun Lavergne's investigation, Thomas, Jr. fled the scene in his pickup truck, but was stopped and arrested just minutes later by Scott Police on Apollo Road.
District Attorney Don Landry praised law enforcement for their quick response. "Scott Police officers are to be commended for their quick response to this shooting just as many young children and parents were walking to school that morning," said Landry.
"Our prosecutors and Scott Police officers worked very hard on this case, and we will continue to do everything possible to ensure the safety of our children and the community," Landry continued.
Felony prosecutors James Klock and Chris Landry presented the case to the jury. Eldridge Thomas, Jr. faces up to 115 years for his convictions, with up to 50 years in prison for the Attempted Second Degree Murder, and up to an additional thirty years for aggravated burglary, thirty years for home invasion, and five years for aggravated flight from an officer, according to the 15th Judicial District.
