BATON ROUGE, La. (BRPROUD) — On Thursday Baton Rouge police arrested 21-year-old Demetriyon Grim in connection to the deadly shooting outside of the Mall of Louisiana.
Grim is facing two counts of first-degree murder, two counts of attempt first-degree murder and illegal use of a weapon.
The shooting happened in late February in a restaurant parking lot right outside of the Mall of Louisiana. Police say a person opened fire, shooting four people inside a car, and then fled the scene in a separate vehicle.
18-year-old Donte Dorsey and 19-year-old Clifton Lindsey were among those targeted in this drive-by shooting. Two others were also injured.
“I’ve always said we cannot arrest our way out this problem. The intervention and prevention is so important,” said Chief Murphy Paul.
This is not Grim’s first encounter with law enforcement. Grim was already in jail for gun charges and then arrested for first-degree murder.
Chief Paul says it’s frustrating that so many young people are killing each other.
“We got young Black men in our city who don’t like themselves. Who don’t love themselves. Who kill someone who looks like them, who act like them. We no longer have a village,” he said.
Law enforcement leaders say hundreds of juveniles have been arrested in just the first quarter of 2022.
Paul says it’s never a good feeling putting young people in jail. He’s calling on the community to do more to support the youth.
“We have to bring that village back. We have to work with our superintendent in schools to keep these young men in school, so they don’t drop out. We have to have more accountability,” he said.
Paul says the department’s homicide clearance rates are above the national average. 21 homicides arrests have been made so far this year, according to BRPD.
Investigators believe that a certain group of individuals were responsible for this shooting.
Paul says this arrest was made through the help of the community and this is an ongoing investigation.
