St. Landry Parish Sheriff Bobby Guidroz says via press release that the Melville Police Department asked for their help when a situation began to unfold on Saturday, October 22, 2022.

What Do We Know?

Officials with the St. Landry Sheriff's Office says Devel Lasean Smith and two juveniles drove up to the scene of where a man had been shot. Smith and victim began to talk.

Apparently the talking didn't go well according to authorities because the two of them started arguing.

What Were Some of the Accusations?

Guidroz says that's when deputies report that the two juveniles in the car got out of the car and one of these people, a 15-year-old juvenile then accused the gunshot victim of telling everyone that he was responsible for a bunch of crimes in Melville.

The argument just kept on going between the boy and the gunshot victim.

Everything then escalated according to officials. They say this juvenile had a handgun, and he smacked the gunshot victim in the mouth. So it was a verbal attack of smack talking between the two and then it turned into a physcial attack on a man who was already surffering from a gunshot wound.

Is This the End of This Story?

Sheriff Guidroz says as deputies continued to investigate this whole situation, the victim told them that Devel Smith hit him first before the juvenile smacked him in the face with the handgun. The victim then alleges that Smith told the 15-year-old juvenile to shoot him.

Deputies arrested 49-year-old Devel Smith of Melville on a charge of Inciting a Felony. His arrested happened on November 3, and he was booked into St. Landry Parish Jail.

Guidroz says this case is still being investigated by detectives. He says they do not plan to release anymore information at this time, but they anticipate they will have more information to release at a later time.

Smith's bond was set at $2,500.

Armed Robberies Across Acadiana in 2022

Of the crimes that have headlined 2022, armed robberies have been among the most prevalent.

Armed robberies - as they become more prevalent in a community - steal peace from the citizens who live there. These crimes may start out as a thief trying to steal from the victim but many times that thief turns into a murderer when that weapon is actually used.

Let's take a look at headline-catching cases involving armed robbery in 2022.

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