Ernest Bernard, 34 and from Lafayette, was shot and killed on Tuesday, July 25, 2023, at the Southern Comfort Inn and Suites in the 900 block of East Admiral Doyle Drive in New Iberia, Louisiana. New Iberia Police Department officers were sent after reports of shots fired and found Bernard on a balcony with a gunshot wound. Paramedics from Acadian Ambulance attempted life-saving measures but Bernard was pronounced dead at the scene.

Authorities identified Jasiah Lewis as the suspect. Lewis was brought to the New Iberia Police Department by his mother and was booked into the Iberia Parish Jail; he has been charged with second-degree murder in connection with Bernard’s death. Few other public details about the incident or motive have been reported.

Did anyone in the area witness activity at the hotel that day or have information about Bernard’s presence there?