MONROE, La. (KTVE/KARD) — On June 23, deputies of the Ouachita Parish Sheriff’s Office responded to a drive-by shooting on the 1900 block of Martin Luther King Drive at Steve’s Smoker’s Paradise. Once authorities arrived at the scene, they spoke with the victims of the shooting.

According to the two victims, they entered the store to pay for fuel but no one was inside. The victims told deputies that they observed the store clerk sitting in a black Impala, next to an ice machine in front of the store.

Police say one of the victims began a verbal altercation with the store clerk’s boyfriend, 33-year-old Javaries Thomas, due to the store clerk not being inside of the store. This victim pointed their hands toward the store clerk as if they had a gun and the boyfriend, Thomas, left the premises in the black Impala.

While one of the victims stood at the gas pump, they claim that Thomas drove by pointing a black gun out of the driver’s window, and firing multiple shots toward them. The victim says they heard approximately four gunshots.

Authorities spoke to other witnesses who were standing nearby and were able to corroborate the victim’s story. According to witnesses, they observed a black Impala traveling east on Hadley Street firing multiple gunshots from the driver’s side.

Deputies made contact with the store clerk who advised that Thomas was the alleged suspect. The store clerk also mentioned that she and Thomas have five children together, who were inside of the black Imapla during the shooting.

On Thursday, June 30, 2022, deputies arrested Thomas and transported him to the Ouachita Correctional Center. He was charged with two counts of Assault by Drive-by Shooting and five counts of Control to Delinquent Juvenile.