After climbing into the second-story window of a home, to visit a teenage girl on Sunday morning, 17-year-old Nicholas Mcquirter is now facing second-degree murder charges in the death of the girl’s father, 34-year-old Dezmon Hamilton. Zachary Police Chief David McDavid said when Hamilton found Mcquirter in the home things escalated.
“The daughter’s mother and grandmother came over to discuss what was going on. The grandmother and her daughter took the 14-year-old off to the side and were talking to her. An argument ensued and then gunshots were fired,” said McDavid.
Both men were armed, and investigators said it’s unclear who fired the first shot.
Hamilton died as a result of several gunshot wounds and once released from the hospital Mcquirter will be booked for second-degree murder, illegal use of a weapon, and possession of a stolen firearm.
McDavid said they’ve seen an alarming increase in violent juvenile crime.
“There are gangs here, there are gangs around Zachary, on the outskirts. They’re coming here we know that. We track them, we arrest them. But they’re using a lot of these juveniles to do their dirty work, and that’s what’s happening and they’re stealing guns and doing drugs,” said McDavid.
It was a week ago when teens were involved in a shooting outside of a Zachary barbershop after calling each other out on social media. McDavid said parents need to get involved in an effort to curb the violence.
“It boils down to these young juveniles who a lot of them are around here stealing guns or carrying stolen guns, concealed. It’s like they don’t know how to deal with conflict resolution,” said McDavid.
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