A 10-year-old boy is in police custody after confessing to shooting a former Louisiana mayor and his daughter, police say.
Joe Cornelius Sr., 82, and Keisha Miles, 31, were found dead on Sunday morning in Minden, a small city in northern Louisiana near Shreveport. Cornelius was a longtime councilman of Minden and served as the city’s mayor for several months in 2013 after the sitting mayor died while in office.
The 10-year-old boy that allegedly confessed to the killings is related to Cornelius, according to Police Chief Jared McIver. The unnamed boy is being held on suspicion of two counts of first-degree murder.
“Our city is in shock,” McIver told NBC News. “How does a 10-year-old commit something so malicious?”
Police found the bodies of Cornelius and Miles after receiving a 911 call around 6:30 a.m. that shots had been fired. The victims were found inside a house on Austin Street with multiple gunshot wounds, local broadcaster KTBS reported. Two handguns were used and their magazines had been completely emptied, McIver told NBC.
A six-year-old child was also home at the time of the shooting, but was uninjured.
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Investigators are still trying to make sense of the crime and understand the motive for the shooting. The 10-year-old allegedly provided a different account of what happened when initially questioned by police, but later confessed to the shooting on Sunday afternoon.
“We’ve got a confession. But in these cases… it’s very delicate, when you’re dealing with a child of this age,” McIver told KTBS. “We’ve still got a lot of unanswered questions.”
The boy’s grandmother is his legal guardian and has been present for law enforcement questioning, as is required by law. McIver described the boy as “scared” but not remorseful.
Neighbours told KSLA-TV that they heard Cornelius and the boy arguing and later heard multiple gunshots ring out.
“I think that’s what happened. He was arguing with him; I heard them hollering and stuff,” one neighbour said, adding that Cornelius had guns in the house because he used to work for law enforcement. Cornelius retired as a deputy marshal of the Minden Ward Marshal’s Office in December 2022.
Cornelius was known as a pillar in his community, according to local news outlets. For decades, he worked with Minden’s youth through an organization called Concerned Citizens of Minden. He was known as the “ice cream man” by children in the community.
“This breaks my heart. He was so kind. I remember him coming through my neighbourhood about seven years ago; the boys got ice cream, but I had limited money. They wanted stuff I couldn’t afford at the time. He said just pay what you can, but they can get anything they want,” said Patti Hadland Porter to local broadcaster KTAL.
In a statement Sunday, Minden Mayor Nick Cox paid tribute to Cornelius and asked residents to keep his family in their thoughts and prayers.
“Joe Cornelius’s years of service to Minden were marked by his commitment and dedication to the betterment of our community. On a personal note, I am grateful for his friendship and the many ways he supported me and others in our city,” Cox wrote.
Cornelius’ daughter Miles had three children. One of her sons, 17-year-old Uriah Miles, has organized a GoFundMe campaign to raise money for her funeral.
“My mom and grandpa have left me on the earth with my 2 siblings,” Uriah writes. “I have to (bury) my mom on my own with the help of some family.”
The campaign has raised just over US$2,000 as of Tuesday afternoon.
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