MINDEN, La. (KSLA/Gray News) – Police in Louisiana say a 10-year-old boy has been arrested. He allegedly admitted to fatally shooting a former city official and his adult daughter.
The Minden Police Department responded to a report that bodies were found inside a house at 6:30 a.m. Sunday. They found two people with multiple gunshots wounds. The victims were later identified as 82-year-old Joe Cornelius Sr. and his daughter, 31-year-old Keisha Miles, according to KSLA.
“About eight gunshots. Pow, pow, pow and then pow, pow, pow,” one neighbor recalled hearing.
The investigation led to the arrest of a 10-year-old boy, who reportedly confessed to fatally shooting the victims.
“Joe got to arguing with him. The boy just pulled a gun out. I mean, Joe used to be a sheriff, so he has guns because he worked for the sheriff’s department and the boy know where it was. It’s a sad thing,” the neighbor said.
Neighbors say an argument broke out between Cornelius and the 10-year-old about credit card charges for video games.
“I think that’s what happened. He was arguing with him. I heard them hollering and stuff,” the neighbor said. “That was my cousin. I hate that that happened over a game. I don’t think that was right.”
The neighbor says the boy has autism, but police have not confirmed that claim nor the nature of the argument. The investigation is ongoing.
Cornelius was a former Minden city councilman and a former interim mayor.
“He was highly respected in the community,” the neighbor said. “He was with the sheriff’s department. He was mayor for a little while. He used to work at the funeral home and stuff like that. He was a good man.”
The current mayor, Nick Cox, released the following statement about Cornelius’ death on social media:
It is with deep sadness that we mourn the loss of Joe Cornelius Sr., a former long-time Minden City councilman and former appointed mayor of Minden.
Joe Cornelius’s years of service to Minden were marked by his commitment and dedication to the betterment of our community. On a personal note, I am grateful for his friendship and the many ways he supported me and others in our city.
During this incredibly difficult time, I ask that we all keep Joe’s family in our thoughts and prayers. May they find comfort and strength in the midst of this tragedy.
Let us come together as a community to honor Joe’s memory and support one another through this time of grief.
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