A Shreveport man who killed a neighbor in a dispute over a phone charger was found guilty as charged of second-degree murder in Caddo District Court Wednesday, August 21, 2024.
It took the seven-woman, five-man jury in District Judge Chris Victory’s court just a half hour to determine that Joshua Parks, 30, shot and killed his neighbor Edward Lattin, 34, Shreveport’s last homicide of 2020. The shooting occurred December 18, 2020.
Victim Lattin was at his residence in the 2900 block of DeSoto Street with his girlfriend, his girlfriend’s best friend and the girlfriend’s mother when he went next door to Parks’ residence to get a phone charger. There, Lattin argued with Parks’ girlfriend over the charger. Lattin returned home and told his girlfriend about the argument, then went outside where the argument between Lattin and the female neighbor continued. Parks came outside, stood behind his girlfriend and started to argue with Lattin.
Lattin and Parks were about to escalate the argument to a physical altercation when Parks pulled out a .380 caliber handgun and shot at Lattin as he turned to run away. According to witness statements, after Parks fired the gun, Lattin fell face forward to the ground. Parks walked over to Lattin and shot him several more times, including the back of the head. Lattin was shot a total of eight times. Parks then fled with the handgun. When he surrendered at Caddo Correctional Center later, his bloody shoes held Lattin’s DNA.
When Parks returns to Judge Victory’s court September 4, 2024, he faces a mandatory sentence of life imprisonment at hard labor without the benefit of probation, parole or suspension of sentence.
Parks was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorneys Kodie K. Smith and Bill Edwards. He was defended by Sean Landry.
The case was docket No. 380303.
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