Continued gun violence in Ville Platte

A five-year-old boy was shot Wednesday night while he was a passenger in a car driven by his father. According to family members, the father was driving home when a bullet hit the car, striking the child in the leg. The boy was rushed to Mercy Regional Medical Center in Ville Platte and was soon transferred to a Baton Rouge hospital by way of helicopter.
The parking lot at the emergency entrance of Mercy Regional was packed Wednesday night, full of family members and friends who were concerned about the boy’s condition. Ville Platte Chief of Police Neil Lartigue was there and said of the boy’s injury: “He had an entry wound and an exit wound. I think the bullet went in and out one leg and hit him in the other leg.”
A press release from the VPPD states: “On July 31, 2019 at approximately 8:00 p.m., the Ville Platte Police Department responded to an incident where a male subject fired one shot into a vehicle injuring a five year old boy in the leg. The incident occurred in the 700 block of Edward K Thomas Street in Ville Platte. According to Chief Lartigue, the suspect has been identified as Quantavis Durgin age 17 whose last known address is 108 Reverend E. D. Alfred Street, Ville Platte. Durgin is wanted on the charge of attempted second degree murder in the shooting incident.
Jalessa Wilon, the victim’s godmother, said, “He was in the car. They were going back home. He was with his daddy, his one-year-old baby sister, and the daddy’s girlfriend. They were going home.” She said someone shot at the car while they were driving. “It’s horrible,” she added.
Jennifer Smith, the boy’s great aunt, said, “We need officers. They need to accommodate our officers, because we need protection in this town. What are we going to do with two officers? That’s not enough protection. They need to be the highest paid people in this city because their lives are in danger. It’s not right. It’s just not right. Look what happened tonight? And we have two officers.”
Ville Platte Mayor Jennifer Vidrine commented about the recent shooting: “My heart and prayers are with the child and his family. It’s heartbreaking that these senseless shootings and gun violence are trickling down to our children and endangering the precious and innocent lives of our sha babies. The chief submitted three officers for hire at the last council meeting and the council approved all three. They should start patrolling this week. And, the chief will be submitting more officers for approval, upon completing his interview process, at the next meeting, which I am confident the council will also approve. We are asking the public to please assist the police department in finding out where the guns are coming from and how they are getting into the hands of the young people. If you see something, say something!”
Chief Lartigue said the boy who was shot is doing better and last he heard, the boy was released from the hospital on Thursday. He also said about the crime in Ville Platte, he said, “We’ll charge people as we investigate, and we will not tolerate it.”
He continued, “Our budget was cut over half a million dollars, and that’s why we’re where we are now. Some of the officers who weren’t laid off got scared they were going to get laid off too, so they packed up and left to find other jobs with other departments.” He said he has hired three more officers, and wants to hire four more.
As of 5 p.m. Friday, Durgin had not been apprehended. If you know the whereabouts of Durgin, you are asked to notify the Ville Platte Police Department immediately at 363-1313. Your call will remain anonymous.