Woman in ‘family area’ at Gemini parade says violence was all around

By TW STARR

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    SHREVEPORT, Louisiana (KTBS) — A woman who was in the area where a teenager was killed Saturday during the Krewe of Gemini parade said she is reconsidering whether she and her family will attend any more of the events.

The shooting claimed the life of Kip Lewis, 17, of Marshall, Texas. Shreveport police said Monday he and friends from Texas were chasing each other around cars with plastic swords when a gun was discharged. Lewis was hit in the chest and died later at the hospital.

The woman, who asked not to be identified, said she and her family, including two small children, chose a spot along Clyde Fant Parkway in front of Magnolia School of Excellence to watch the parade because it was designated as a family friendly area.

She’s unsure if they will attend next year’s parade because she did not have a good experience. The woman said it was anything but family friend.

“There were about four fights that I can remember witnessing myself. One of the fights that happened directly in front of us I saw multiple people on the ground bleeding by the end of it and one guy has his ear almost torn off and he had a big gash across his forehead. There were multiple people drinking, underage drinking and vulgar loud music being played on top of all the fights, and it was just a disaster. Definitely not a family friendly area that it was supposed to be,” said the parade goer.

KTBS reached out to local law enforcement to get information on staffing and security for the parade. Shreveport police had 211 police officers working the parade, with about 120 of them in the area along Clyde Fant Parkway. The Caddo Parish Sheriff’s Office had around 30 deputies on parade duty.

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