A graduation celebration in a Lake Charles neighborhood turned deadly in the early morning hours of May 20, 2025. Dozens of shots were fired into a gathering just after midnight in the 500 block of Central Parkway; sixteen-year-old McKenzie Rideau, a student at Lake Charles College Prep, was struck and fatally wounded. Investigators determined she was an innocent bystander, not the intended target of the shooting.

McKenzie was remembered as a beloved student, a volleyball team member and flag line participant. School leaders and family described her as a light on campus, smart, beautiful and with ambitious plans for the future. The Lake Charles Police Department investigated the incident as a homicide and identified two suspects in the days afterward.

On May 30, 2025, authorities arrested 20-year-old Terrell Alfred and 19-year-old Jaylin Guidroz. Alfred, already jailed on unrelated charges, was served with a warrant for second-degree murder and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon; Guidroz was charged with second-degree murder and illegal use of weapons or dangerous instrumentalities. Police said the investigation remained ongoing. Did anyone at the party or nearby hear or see details that could help clarify what happened that night?