NewsLocal NewsIn Your ParishAcadia Parish

Actions

UPDATE: Family identifies man killed in Crowley drive-by

Posted at 9:40 AM, Dec 27, 2020
and last updated 2020-12-28 07:12:05-05

"He did not deserve that. How is my momma supposed to look at her child in a casket? How is that supposed to make her feel?"

That's what a Crowley woman has to say as she mourns the loss of her brother, who was killed in a drive-by shooting last night. He was one of three people shot during a block party on West Hutchinson Avenue; one is in critical condition and one person, identified by family members as Joseph Castillo, 25, died.

His sister, Francesca, also was at the party.

"How do y'all go shoot in a crowd where there are hundreds of people? Help me make sense of it because it doesn't make sense to me," she says, addressing the people who killed her brother.

It was supposed to be a night of fun, but it turned deadly. She was inside the building when she heard gunfire, and when she got outside she found Joseph on the ground, bleeding.

"I can honestly say my brother was doing the right thing. He wasn't out here selling drugs, he wasn't out here shooting guns. You guys killed an innocent person," she says.

Police were on the scene before the shooting even started, called in to control the crowd. Francesca says officers tried to save her brother.

She has a message, now, for the person who took her brother's life.

"You may not have meant it for him, but you were out to kill. And for you to kill, you have no heart," she says.

Castillo has set up a fundraiser to help pay for her brother's burial. If you'd like to help his family, click here.

Crowley Police Chief Jimmy Broussard sent out a statement about the shooting.

"During a block party that involved a large number of people, officers were dispatched to disperse the crowd. While officers were on scene, a shooting occurred involving at least two shooters. Three subjects were hit, one fatally. Another is in critical condition. Detectives are now following leads, but ask for the community’s help with any additional leads or tips," he wrote.

Earlier, we reported that Crowley Police say the gathering was underway when the shooting happened, between 1 a.m. and 2 a.m. Sunday.