DENHAM SPRINGS, La (BRPROUD) – A Denham Springs teenager claims a suspect in a shooting followed her home minutes before allegedly shooting a police officer on Thursday.
Before the deadly exchange, Charley Alaina, 17, said the suspect, Justin Roberts, 30, followed her home after driving recklessly.
“I was pulling into my house like I always do after school after I get food and by the time I opened up the garage he was like pulling into the driveway,” she said.
Alaina had finished her last day of high school. After getting some food around 3:30 p.m., she noticed a man with what she called “road rage.”
“And that’s where I saw the tan jeep, he was still a good ways behind me,” Alaina said. “So then he break-checked me, which I didn’t do anything to make him mad so I was like ‘maybe I was going too slow in a school zone or something’.”
The driver followed Alaina home, which was recorded on the family’s Ring camera.
“He pulled up enough to where I could see in my rearview mirror. He was right behind me. By the time I closed the garage he was gone,” Alaina said.
What happened next is still under investigation. But police said that Roberts ended up at a shopping center down the road just 30 minutes after following the teen to her driveway.
That’s where police said he caused a disturbance and shot at officers. The car he was reportedly driving matched the one that pulled into Alaina’s driveway.
Denham Springs Police Officer Cpl. Shawn Kelly is still in critical condition after the shootout. Roberts died from gunshot injuries at a local hospital.
“I was like, ‘this is a little too much of a coincidence’,” Alaina said.
The aspiring psychologist and gifted photographer said she’s lucky to be alive and knows this picture could have been a lot worse.
“It was a good lesson before I went to college, I’m definitely going to have pepper spray on me cause this world is not safe right now,” she said.
“Luckily, he’s out of harm’s way and he can’t hurt nobody anymore,” Alaina said.
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