Detectives investigating whether 3 shootings in East Baton Rouge - WAFB 9 News Baton Rouge, Louisiana News, Weather, Sports

Authorities say the shooting death of a former Baton Rouge Parks and Recreation (BREC) commissioner may be linked to two other shootings.

The East Baton Rouge Parish Sheriff’s Office reported Carroll Breeden, 66, was pronounced dead on the scene of a shooting in Pride Tuesday night.

Officials in East Feliciana Parish are looking into the possibility that two shootings, one fatal and another in which the victim survived his injuries, may be connected.

“We don't know if they're connected and we're not saying at this point that they are. Obviously, that's one of the possibilities that we're looking at, but we just have to see where the evidence in all three cases leads us,” said East Feliciana Sheriff Office’s Chief Deputy Greg Phares.

“While there are some similarities in the cases, there are some significant differences as well. Detectives don't want to elaborate on that at this time, so it's early to make that connection,” said East Baton Rouge Sheriff Office’s spokesperson, Casey Hicks.

The first shooting death officials are investigating happened in East Feliciana Parish on Hwy. 960 on July 8 at 10:30 a.m. Tommy Bass, 63, was shot at close range while working on his truck, his family says.

“Apparently, they wanted him dead because they shot him with buckshot at close range. There's no overcoming that,” said Bass. “The truck was still running when the police got here.”

Just over a mile away and two months later, there was another shooting in East Feliciana Parish. Buck Hornsby, 47, says he was outside walking in his yard on Hwy. 63 around 7:30 a.m., when he says a “sneak type shooting” unfolded and he was shot twice with a shotgun.

“Outta' the blue, just had a car pull up on the side of the road and just open fire on me for no apparent reason,” said Hornsby.

Hornsby was rushed to the hospital and survived. “I had two bullets lodged under my eye lid and it's getting a lot better. I've got 37 pellets in me total in my body,” said Hornsby.

RELATED: ‘It was just a sneak-type shooting’ says lone survivor of shootings believed to be connected

The pellets are lodged all over his body in his upper and lower right arm, right side of his body, in his tongue, and even one in the roof of his mouth. Despite thinking about whether he would live or die, Hornsby says he did get a quick look at the car.

“It was like a silver, grayish Mitsubishi car. I don't know how many people were in it or what their color was, whether they were black or white,” said Hornsby.

The third shooting was 18 miles away and right on the East Baton Rouge/East Feliciana Parish line. It was on Port Hudson Pride Rd. around 5:45 p.m.

Former BREC commissioner Carroll Breeden, 66, was shot and killed.

“My hero, just a hard-working man that if anybody needed help, was there to do it, never met a stranger,” said Breeden’s son, Buzz Breeden.

Flowers now mark where Breeden was working in his yard when he was shot and killed.

“A person drove by and fired off two rounds. My mother and my nephew were in the home, heard the shots, came running out, and saw him lying on the ground,” said Breeden.

Breeden says he cannot think of any reason why anyone would want to kill his father. That's something everyone is echoing: that there was no reason behind any of these shootings. One similarity is that all the victims have been white, middle-aged men.

Now, three families are begging for anyone to come forward with any information. “Anybody that knows anything about any of these shootings to please come forward and tell authorities what they know,” said Bass.

“Obviously if anyone can come forward with any information, anything, even if it’s just random, just flood the sheriff’s office to bring justice to our family,” said Breeden.

“There has to be somebody that saw something, so we’re just asking those, if you saw something, no details are too insignificant. Call and report that information if you saw a suspicious vehicle or person,” said Hicks.

“These cases have caused a great deal of concern in our parish. What you have may not seem important to you, but we may be able to put it together with other information we have and make an arrest,” said Phares.

Officials do not want anyone to panic or stay indoors, but they do warn residents to pay attention to their surroundings.

Meanwhile, any information can help no matter how minor it may be. Crime Stoppers is offering a reward of up to $5,000 for anyone with information leading to an arrest. Call them at 225-344-7867.

RELATED STORIES:

• Former BREC commissioner fatally shot outside home in Pride
• East Feliciana officials needs help solving rural murder
• Deputies seeking suspect for murder of 61-year-old man in E. Feliciana Parish

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