A Lafayette Parish grand jury has handed up several murder indictments in Lafayette slayings, including an August shooting that left one child dead, and four others - including another child and two cops - wounded.
The grand jury indicted four people in four different slayings. They also declined to indict a juvenile, and indicted a fifth person on a negligent homicide charge.
The grand jury indicted John Mitchell Nicholas, 31, was indicted on one count second-degree murder, five counts attempted first-degree murder, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, domestic abuse battery with child endangerment, battery of a dating partner with child endangerment and false imprisonment with a dangerous weapon.
He's accused of murder in the shooting death of 18-month-old Kaci Cyprian.
The shooting happened on August 5 on S. General Marshall Street in Lafayette. Nicholas was wounded, and also wounded that daywere another child, a woman and two police officers.
In another case, the grand jury indicted Ja'Quan Gardner, 17, and Jakyrick Paul Charles, 21, on one count each of second-degree murder in connection with the October 7 slaying of Devin Devon McZeal.
McZeal died in one of two shootings that happened that weekend. Lafayette Police told us at the time that
the shooting happened on Hellen Street around 11:00p.m. Saturday night; people on foot shot their guns into a house party. McZeal was killed and two other people were wounded.
The grand jury also indicted Terry Joseph Jr., 22, of Rayne in connection with the Halloween slaying of Percy James Rochester Jr. He's accused of first-degree murder and two counts attempted first-degree murder. That shooting happened near the intersection of North University and West Willow.
At the time, police told us they were called to the scene at about 1:30 a.m. They determined that shots were fired into the victim's vehicle as it was traveling near the intersection. Rochester was transported to a hospital, where he died of his wounds.
Also indicted on Thursday was Shawntravin Sampy, 21, who is accused of the slaying of Joshua Wayne Cobb. Sampy is charged with felony negligent homicide in connection with Cobb's death, which happened on July 9. at the time, Lafayette Police told us that Cobb, 18, was shot during an argument just before midnight in the 100 block of Vaucluse Drive.
The grand jury also determined that a juvenile accused in the October 9 slaying of another juvenile did not commit that murder, records show. That shooting happened on Evelyn Drive, and was caught on surveillance video. Here's our story.
