A man suffered a gunshot wound to the leg Monday morning after gunfire erupted along Highway 318 in the Four Corners area near Franklin, and by that afternoon deputies had a suspect in custody. Detectives identified 38-year-old Jeanerette resident Deondre Johnson as the shooter and booked him into the St. Mary Parish Law Enforcement Center on charges of aggravated battery and illegal use of weapons.
According to WBRZ, deputies were sent to Highway 318 after reports of gunfire and found a male victim with a gunshot wound to the leg. The injured man was taken to a local hospital, and his injury was described as non-life-threatening. The St. Mary Parish Sheriff's Office says its investigation into the shooting remains active, with additional charges still pending.
Per KQKI News, the gunfire broke out at approximately 11 a.m. in the Four Corners area, an unincorporated stretch along Highway 318 near the St. Mary and Iberia parish line. Detectives reviewed physical evidence at the scene and secured an arrest warrant before taking Johnson into custody Monday afternoon, the outlet reported.
A Rural Crossroads Near the Parish Line
Four Corners sits at the intersection of Highway 318 and Highway 83, a junction the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has identified as a long-standing infrastructure node for rural utility and transportation planning in western St. Mary Parish. The area functions as a commercial and residential hub for agricultural workers in the parish, and Highway 318 itself serves as the primary roadway linking Four Corners to U.S. Route 90, according to St. Mary Parish Government records.
That corridor also forms a regional boundary between St. Mary Parish and neighboring Iberia Parish, where Jeanerette is located, placing Johnson's hometown just across the parish line from where the shooting happened. Booking records cited by the same outlet show Johnson was previously arrested by St. Mary Parish deputies in January 2021 on a misdemeanor marijuana possession charge and was released on a court summons at that time.
What Comes Next for the Charges
Under Louisiana Revised Statute 14:34, aggravated battery is defined as a battery committed with a dangerous weapon and carries penalties of up to 10 years imprisonment, with or without hard labor, a fine of up to $5,000, or both, with at least one year served without benefit of parole. It is classified as a crime of violence under state law.
The illegal use of weapons charge, filed under Louisiana Revised Statute 14:94, typically carries a penalty of up to two years imprisonment and a fine of up to $1,000. That statute includes an enhancement of five to 10 years at hard labor without probation or suspension for discharging a firearm from a motor vehicle with intent to harm — though the sheriff's office has not said whether a vehicle was involved in Monday's shooting. It remains unclear what relationship, if any, existed between Johnson and the victim, or what specifically prompted the gunfire, and the sheriff's office has indicated additional charges could still be filed as the investigation continues.
Latest in a String of Parish Gunfire Cases
Johnson's arrest is the latest in a series of firearm incidents St. Mary Parish deputies have investigated in recent months. Hoodline previously reported on a midnight shooting on Easy Street in Franklin, roughly 10 miles east of Four Corners, where multiple rounds struck a home and a vehicle without injuring anyone.
The current investigation falls under Sheriff Gary Driskell, who took office in early 2024 following the death of former Sheriff Blaise Smith and was sworn in for his first full four-year term on July 1, 2024, after winning 77% of the vote in the 2023 election. Driskell had served with the sheriff's office since 1990 and was chief deputy before becoming sheriff, according to the St. Mary Parish Sheriff's Office.
Johnson is being held at the St. Mary Parish Law Enforcement Center in Centerville, a facility that also runs a vocational welding certification program with South Louisiana Community College aimed at job placement and reducing recidivism, per KBZE 105.9 FM. Deputies are also expanding highway patrols this month as part of a statewide impaired-driving crackdown running through September, though that campaign is unrelated to the shooting investigation. Johnson has not been convicted and remains only charged as the parish's investigation continues.
