Background: The location where the police chase of Aaron Morgan ended in Baton Rouge, Louisiana (WAFB). Inset: Aaron Morgan (WAFB).
A man from Louisiana admitted his guilt just before jury selection started for his trial in which he was accused of killing his grandmother, injuring his mother, and shooting three other individuals.
Aaron Morgan, aged 32, was given a sentence of 120 years in prison, essentially a life term. This decision came after he changed his plea from second-degree murder to manslaughter. Additionally, he acknowledged five counts of attempted first-degree murder and one count of robbery involving a firearm.
The violent incident occurred on August 1, 2021, when Morgan went on a rampage. He started by fatally stabbing his grandmother, Diane Gafford, who was 78 years old, and causing severe injuries to his mother, requiring her to be hospitalized.
According to the East Baton Rouge Sheriff’s Office, he fled to a nearby Highland Marketplace shopping center, where he stole a car and shot three strangers. It just so happened to be outside a Ochsner Urgent Care facility, so medical staffers were right there to help those injured victims until ambulances arrived.
Deputies later spotted Morgan, who led them on a brief car chase. He got out of the vehicle, tried fleeing on foot, and fired several shots, deputies said. Authorities fired back, striking him twice, they said.
Sharon Weston Broome, then mayor-president of Baton Rouge, called the event a “terrible tragedy.”
“[Sunday] morning a terrible tragedy occurred in our community where several innocent people were injured and at least one person has died. While there is no longer an active threat thanks to the quick work of our first responders, our public safety agencies are still responding to this traumatic event,” she said. “We are in communication with law enforcement as more details unfold. Please pray for those recovering from their injuries. Also, thank you to the good Samaritans who rushed in moments after the incident to render aid.”
Assistant District Attorney Vincent Nguyen on Monday alluded to several factors as to why the case took so long.
“It takes time talking to all the victims, in separate locations,” he told WAFB. “And then trying to get something that works for everyone and get justice for each person that is involved.”
A relative of one of the injured victims reportedly called Monday a “a bittersweet day.”
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