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New: Family caught in middle of spat over drugs when shooting happened

7 years 2 months 1 week ago Monday, January 16 2017 Jan 16, 2017 January 16, 2017 3:30 PM January 16, 2017 in News
Source: WBRZ

BATON ROUGE - According to new information requested by the WBRZ News 2 Investigative Unit, it appears a family was in the wrong place at the wrong time when a 26-year-old father was shot outside a mid-city restaurant last Thursday.

Arrest documents for Reginald Tyler James, who's now charged with three counts of attempted first degree murder, show a witness at the scene told police James was there because the witness stole drugs from James last year. That witness said James was chasing the witness when the two ran into the parking lot of Doe's Eat Place. The witness, who was not identified by name, told police he was running near the restaurant when he heard the gunshots.

Those bullets hit the father inside a vehicle in the parking lot. Also inside the vehicle were the man's wife and 2-year-old child. The family sped to the hospital, where the father spent the night in the intensive care unit.

James was arrested Monday.

Following the arrest, the owners of Doe's Eat Place sent WBRZ News 2 this statement:

"We'll all rest better tonight knowing that Reginald Tyler James is behind bars. Our thoughts are with the young family who are the victims of this senseless crime. We're grateful to the Baton Rouge Police Department for their comprehensive investigation that led to a swift arrest."
 -Theresa Overby, owner Doe's Eat Place

The Investigative Unit found James was out of jail and on probation when Thursday's shooting happened. James was arrested in 2015 for holding someone up at gunpoint. James was convicted in that case. Court documents show James was also on probation when that robbery happened.

Police have not released the names of the victim of last week's shooting but said the man is expected to make a full recovery.

PREVIOUS STORY:

The 20-year-old man wanted in a shooting at a Government Street restaurant has surrendered to police. Police records indicate that he may have been chasing a person who had previously robbed him of drugs.

Reginald Tyler James turned himself in Monday evening to be booked on three counts of attempted first-degree murder, police said.

James is accused of shooting a restaurant patron outside Doe's Eat Place on Government Thursday night. The man was shot in the torso while in a truck with his wife and child.

A person who contacted authorities as a witness acknowledged having robbed James of drugs about six months ago, an arrest warrant says. 

The witness saw James on Thursday night and ran from him, according to the warrant. James chased the witness through the parking lot of Doe's, authorities said. 

The witness then ran around a white pick-up truck in the parking lot, and continued to run along the side of the restaurant building to safety, according to the warrant.

Authorities said the witness heard two gunshots while running away.

James was booked into East Baton Rouge Parish Prison on three counts of attempted first degree murder, according to the Sheriff's Office.

Doe's Eat Place released a statement following the arrest:

"We'll all rest better tonight knowing that Reginald Tyler James is behind bars. Our thoughts are with the young family who are the victims of this senseless crime. We're grateful to the Baton Rouge Police Department for their comprehensive investigation that led to a swift arrest."

ORIGINAL STORY:

A man is wanted for three counts of attempted first degree murder following a shooting in the parking lot of Doe's Eat Place that occurred last week.

The man wanted by the Baton Rouge Police Department is 20-year-old Reginald Tyler James.

According to BRPD, James is believed to have fired shots into a vehicle striking the 23-year-old driver after refusing to open the door of their vehicle. The victim's wife and two-year-old child were also inside the vehicle at the time of the shooting, however they were not injured. The victim then drove himself to an area hospital and is expected to survive.

Anyone with information on the whereabouts of James is urged to contact the Violent Crimes Unit at 389-4869.

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