LAFAYETTE, KATC - A tragic shooting early Saturday morning left two people dead in an apparent murder-suicide in a parking lot outside of Legends, a Lafayette bar.
Authorities say the incident occurred just after 8 a.m. at the intersection of Johnston Street and Lana Drive. Police confirmed that 30-year-old Jonovan Dauphine, of Sunset, fatally shot his significant partner, 27-year-old Samantha Breaux, of Church Point, before turning the gun on himself.
Nearby resident Zane Marks said he was having breakfast with his son at a neighboring McDonald’s when they noticed the scene unfold.
“It’s terrible, it’s hard to even hear,” Marks said.
While police continue to investigate the motive behind the shooting, witnesses say the aftermath left many confused and concerned.
“I just thought it was some robbery or something,” said 17-year-old Galvin Clark. “Whenever we went into the McDonald’s, they had all kinds of people piled up looking out the window. They all had their theories but we didn’t think it was as bad as it was.”
Clark also offered condolences to Breaux’s loved ones. “I just don’t know how someone can do that to somebody — it just hurts. I feel bad, I send love to the family that’s going through it.”
The shooting happened hours after the bar had closed at 2 a.m. Legends reopened later that day at 1 p.m.
Police say they are still working to determine the circumstances that led up to the fatal encounter.
