LAPLACE, La. — Two teenagers, Daniel Medina, 18, and Gerard Garrett, 17, were killed Thursday following a botched drug deal that ended in a shootout and a crash into a home in LaPlace’s Cambridge Subdivision, St. John Parish Sheriff Mike Tregre said.
According to authorities, Medina picked up Garrett just blocks from a home on Yorktowne Drive before the two became involved in a drug transaction. Investigators said a struggle began inside the vehicle, and the teens shot at each other while the car was in motion. The vehicle then veered off the road and crashed into the home of resident Donna, causing significant structural damage and crumbling bricks.
“I was in the back of my house and I heard this horrific crash,” Donna said. “When I went outside, I learned the situation was far more serious than a traffic accident.”
Deputies confirmed both teens were dead inside the car. Investigators recovered two handguns, narcotics, and cash from the vehicle, which had been riddled with bullets. Sheriff Tregre said both Medina and Garrett were residents of St. John the Baptist Parish with juvenile criminal histories.
Donna said she feels fortunate to have avoided injury. “I would have been coming out my door, going down the sidewalk, to my car,” she said.
The investigation remains ongoing. Sheriff Tregre emphasized the dangers of such activity, saying, “A 17-year-old and an 18-year-old in broad daylight, having a shootout inside of a vehicle — these are the kind of things that happen when living that lifestyle.”
