Louisiana’s Wild Fire Casino Gunfire Leads to Arrest of Alleged Shooter

Posted on: April 19, 2021, 01:29h. 

Last updated on: July 6, 2021, 05:56h.

Ed Silverstein @casinoorgedsilv Read More
Expertise: Legal, Tribal Gaming.

Louisiana’s Wild Fire Casino was the site of a shooting spree late last week in front of the building. The alleged shooter, Kewondrick Hays, 22, was arrested on Saturday.

There were no injuries
Kewondrick Hays, 22, shown here. Hays was arrested Saturday for allegedly shooting at Louisiana’s Wild Fire Casino. (Image: WBRZ)

Hays was charged with two felonies, according to WBRZ, a local TV station. These were reported to be attempted second-degree murder and assault by a drive-by shooting, according to the West Side Journal, a local newspaper.

No one suffered injuries from the Friday afternoon gunfire. Deputies from the West Baton Rouge Sheriff’s Office initially suspected the shooting followed an argument, the Journal said.

The casino is located in Port Allen. It is about four miles from Baton Rouge. In initial reports, deputies believed Hays was in a motor vehicle when he fired the gun.

Details on the incident were not released. Hays’s case will be turned over to the local court for prosecution. It was unclear this weekend if Hays remained in custody, or if a bond was posted for his release.

If convicted on the second-degree attempted murder charge, Hays likely faces between 10 and 50 years in prison.

Prior Louisiana Casino Crimes

The recent shooting is just one of the multiple crimes seen in Louisiana casinos during recent years.

In 2019, a trio of brazen bandits assaulted a security guard before fleeing with an undisclosed amount of cash from an unnamed Lake Charles casino. The guard was injured and required hospitalization.

Two of the robbers assaulted the security guard at the gaming venue during the heist. They grabbed his gun and fled the area.

In March of last year, two suspects were arrested in Lake Charles for their role in allegedly robbing and assaulting an unnamed taxi passenger. He had revealed he had just won $15,000 at a local casino.

The victim was pulled out of the cab. Once outside, the passenger was repeatedly assaulted.

An unspecified amount of money and two cell phones were stolen from the man. While out of the cab, the victim grabbed onto the taxi’s door handle to get back into the sedan. He was unsuccessful.

Shootings at US Casinos

Across the nation, several shootings have taken place recently in or near gaming properties. Detroit’s Motor City Casino parking garage was the scene of a fatal shooting of a 25-year-old man last month.

At a Las Vegas Strip Grand Vacations Hilton, a man killed his 15-year-old brother with a self-assembled firearm.