Man arrested for two attempted murder charges after exchanging gunfire in Cortana Place

BATON ROUGE – A man was arrested for two attempted murder charges after he allegedly waited for two people to exit a Walmart before trying to ambush them.

According to the East Baton Rouge Sheriff’s Office, the two victims were shopping at the Walmart on Cortana Place around 4 p.m. Sunday when they were approached by a man who neither of them recognized. They exchanged a few words in passing, and the man, later identified as 19-year-old Demaurion Pierce, walked out of the store and pulled a ski mask over his face. 

The victims saw him do this and waited a short while before exiting the store. Pierce then pulled out a gun and pointed it at the both of them, and one of the victims pulled out his own gun before the two exchanged shots in the Walmart parking lot. 

Pierce fled the scene and threw his gun over a nearby bridge, but it was ultimately recovered when deputies investigated the scene and took Pierce into custody. 

Pierce was arrested and booked for aggravated criminal damage to property, resisting an officer, obstruction of justice, and two counts of attempted second-degree murder.