A 16-year-old was shot in the shoulder inside a Slidell residence off Pontchartrain Drive on Saturday. Eighteen-year-old Jarvion Evans accidentally fired a gun while teens were filming social media videos, and the gunshot struck the juvenile. Evans fled before officers arrived, then turned himself in and led investigators to the firearm he had discarded. He was arrested following the shooting.
According to the Slidell Police Department, officers responded to a call for service involving a 16-year-old who had been shot at a residence off Pontchartrain Drive. Police say Evans discharged a firearm accidentally and negligently while inside the home, and the gunshot struck the juvenile in the shoulder. The teen was transported to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries and is expected to make a full recovery, per the police department.
Investigators say Evans fled the scene before officers arrived but later turned himself in. He cooperated with investigators and led them to the discarded firearm, the department's account states. He was arrested following the incident.
Police Chief Warns Against Guns as Social Media Props
Slidell Police Chief Tommy Williams said firearms must always be handled safely and responsibly, and that they are not toys and should not be treated as social media props. He said careless firearm handling can have devastating, life-altering consequences, adding that the incident could have resulted in a greater tragedy and that he wished the victim a full and speedy recovery.
The case highlights a tension between Louisiana's expanded gun-access laws and the risks of casual firearm handling. Under the state's Constitutional Carry law, which took effect on August 1, 2024, qualifying adults age 18 and older who aren't otherwise prohibited can carry a concealed handgun in public without a permit.
Fleeing the Scene Raises Additional Legal Exposure
Evans fleeing before officers arrived and discarding the weapon could also carry separate legal consequences. Louisiana Revised Statute 14:130.1 defines obstruction of justice to include tampering with evidence, such as intentionally moving, removing, or concealing an object at a scene with intent to distort a criminal investigation — a statute that could apply given Evans's reported disposal of the firearm before turning himself in.
This is not the first firearm incident police have investigated along the Pontchartrain Drive corridor. In July, Slidell Police investigated an unauthorized firearm discharge at a Shell station shooting with no injuries on the same thoroughfare, though no one was hurt in that case.
Residential shootings tied to careless firearm handling have cropped up elsewhere in Slidell as well. In January 2024, Slidell Police responded to a domestic shooting inside a local residence where an accidental or reckless discharge grazed a woman, leading to an arrest for illegal carrying of a weapon and battery, the department noted on Facebook at the time.
Broader Push Against Illegal Firearms in St. Tammany
The incident also comes amid wider regional enforcement efforts targeting illegal and modified weapons. In February, St. Tammany Parish Sheriff's detectives arrested four people along Interstate 10 near Slidell during a stop that recovered four illegal firearms, including a modified automatic weapon and a stolen pistol, a case Hoodline previously covered in its report on a felony carpool busted with hot guns. Open questions remain, including whether the firearm was legally purchased or stolen, and whether others present during the filming could face charges of their own.
