A 10-year-old boy allegedly confessed to shooting dead his city’s former mayor and his daughter.
The boy admitted to police in Minden, Louisiana, that he fatally shot Joe Cornelius Sr, 82, and his daughter, Keisha Miles, 31, who were found with gunshot wounds on Sunday morning.
Cops responded to a call regarding two bodies in a home on Austin Street around 6.30am and found Cornelius and Miles deceased.
A neighbor reported hearing eight gunshots, according to KSLA.
Neighbors apparently said that Cornelius and the boy were arguing about credit card charges for video games.
The boy’s guardian took him to authorities amid an investigation into the shooting deaths.
A neighbor said the boy had autism, but his condition was not confirmed by police.
The boy is in custody and has not been identified.
Minden Police Chief Jared McIver said the boy did not immediately show signs of remorse.
‘Now people, I understand, and here is something I have to say, everyone grieves differently,’ said McIver.
‘But I think we all know what grieving looks like and what it should look like and I just, you know, didn’t see it.’
Cornelius also had served as a city councilman and as an appointed mayor after Mayor Bill Robertson died, KTBS reported. Cornelius did not win his bid for the full-time mayoral position.
Many questions remain amid an investigation into the incident.
‘I’m in no Predicament to explain word from word what transpired,’ wrote Uriah Miles, who is the grandson of Cornelius and his daughter’s son, on a GoFundMe page.
‘I’m 17 my mom and grandpa have left me on the earth with my 2 siblings I have to burry my mom on my own with the help of some family.’
Cornelius was known for his community activism including running youth programs and previously worked at a funeral home.
‘Joe Cornelius’s years of service to Minden were marked by his commitment and dedication to the betterment of our community,’ wrote current Minden Mayor Nick Cox on Facebook.
‘Let us come together as a community to honor Joe’s memory and support one another through this time of grief.’
The GoFundMe page had raised more than $2,600 as of Tuesday afternoon.
Minden is about 325 miles northwest of New Orleans.
Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.
For more stories like this, check our news page.
