A family gathering in Baton Rouge turned deadly on April 23, 2023. Eighteen-year-old Kevinesha McDowell, a recent mother to a two-month-old, was shot in the head and died at the scene after a verbal altercation escalated during a celebration of life in the 3600 block of Geronimo Street. The gathering had been held to raise money for the funeral of another brother who had been recently killed.

Kevinesha’s 27-year-old sister, Anntaesha McDowell, was shot multiple times and taken to a local hospital with life-threatening injuries; she was later reported in stable condition. Reports say Kevinesha was attempting to break up the fight when she was fatally shot.

The suspect was identified as the victims’ 29-year-old brother, Gerald McDowell. He fled the scene and was arrested by Baton Rouge Police Department Homicide Detectives on April 27, 2023, then booked into the East Baton Rouge Parish Prison on charges including first-degree murder, attempted first-degree murder and illegal use of a weapon.

If anyone at the gathering or in the neighborhood that night has information, please share what you know.