Southern University awards posthumous degrees to students
BATON ROUGE - On Friday, Southern University awarded Annette January and Lashuntae Benton's family with posthumous degrees during the university's commencement ceremony.
The posthumous degrees were presented to January and Benton's mothers on stage as the crowd applauded. Chairs were also set up for Benton and January at the ceremony.
January was from Gary, Indiana and was a freshman management major. She was also a university track athlete.
Benton was a Lake Charles native and a sophomore therapeutic recreation and leisure studies major. She was an athletic trainer.
Annette January's mother and sisters accepting her awarded degree @WBRZ pic.twitter.com/CWFgib7N6b
— MichaelVinsanau WBRZ (@MVinsanau) May 13, 2016Trending News
Lashuntae Benton's mother accepting her awarded degree @WBRZ pic.twitter.com/d9ObhVPCeR
— MichaelVinsanau WBRZ (@MVinsanau) May 13, 2016
Two chairs set up for Lashuntae Benton and Annette January. They will be awarded posthumous degrees today @WBRZ pic.twitter.com/pHAbpVMfLC
— MichaelVinsanau WBRZ (@MVinsanau) May 13, 2016
The two students were killed during a shooting at an apartment complex in April. The shooting involved 22-year-old Ernest Felton and a 24-year-old male victim who was injured.
Felton was charged in the shooting for the injury of the 24-year-old victim, but ballistics tests have not been released to determine whose bullets struck and killed Benton and January.