Before 11-year-old was killed, he and his family were held hostage, Baton Rouge police say

An 11-year-old boy was killed Thursday night after he and several members of his family were held hostage inside a car by a teenage gunman, Baton Rouge police said. 

BRPD spokesman Sgt. L’Jean McKneely said the suspect had been feuding with another family member when he held Matthew Fortenberry and at least three others at gunpoint in an attempt to draw the relative out of a home in the 5600 block of Crestway Ave. just before 7 p.m.  

A person inside the car began shooting at the suspect, who returned fire as he ran off, McKneely said. Fortenberry was driven to a hospital by a relative but died soon after. 

First responders later found the injured teen less than a mile away in the 6300 block of Greenwell Street. He was treated at a hospital and booked on one count of first-degree murder, four counts of attempted first-degree murder and one count each of false imprisonment with a dangerous weapon and illegal discharge of a firearm. 

East Baton Rouge District Attorney Hillar Moore said he wants to try the 17-year-old, who has not yet been identified, as an adult. 

Hours after Thursday’s suspected gunman was taken into custody, Ascension Parish sheriff’s deputies also arrested a teenage murder suspect in last weekend’s fatal shooting of Treylon Brown, 15. The 16-year-old suspect was booked on several counts, including first-degree murder, attempted first-degree murder and illegal use of weapons.

In a statement Friday, Mayor-president Sharon Weston Broome called Fortenberry’s death “senseless” and commended BRPD for quickly taking the juvenile suspect into custody. 

“This thoughtless act has forever destroyed the lives of two young people and impacted our entire community,” Broome said. “While this quick police work can’t undo such an unthinkable action, it is an important step towards justice and healing for the family.”

Baton Rouge has lost two other young people to gun violence since the start of the year. 

On January 26, 13-year-old Keddrick Turner was shot once in the head while sitting inside a car on Sharon Hills Boulevard with a group of other teens. He was hospitalized in critical condition and died five days later. 

One month later, Nykobia Keller, 17, was fatally shot as she drove along Interstate 110 north. The Jackson High School student had a young child, police said. 

No arrests have been made in either case. 

Staff writer Caitie Zeilman contributed to this report.