Pregnant woman shot, killed in case of mistaken identity in Baton Rouge, Louisiana

1 of men charged worked for West Baton Rouge Sheriff's Office

ByWBRZ
Tuesday, April 18, 2023
Pregnant woman shot, killed in case of mistaken identity
Kerisha Johnson was shot and killed in Baton Rouge, LA. Marques Porch has been charged in her murder.

BATON ROUGE, La. -- A former employee for a Louisiana sheriff's office is one of three people facing charges in the murder of a pregnant woman.

Authorities said the victim was not the person the shooters were targeting that day.

Shattered glass still covers the ground, remnants of the scene left behind after Kerisha Johnson was shot and killed.

Her friends, like Deanna Williams, are devastated.

"It was senseless. It was senseless. And just to know that she lost her life behind, nothing, you know, she was an innocent person. And It's... I can't," Williams said.

Johnson was picking someone up from a party when three teenagers opened fire as her car pulled up to the building.

Police said they mistook her car for another one that shot a bullet into the air earlier that day.

Bobby Hardnett works next door. He put a teddy bear on the ground in her honor.

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"By being a mother and a child, it's just kind of like too much of that going on in the city right now, with the women and the children. We got to wake up on this here. These guys got all of these issues and things going on. They need to find different ways or better ways to handle their anger," Hardnett said.

One of the shooters, Marques Porch, was a corrections officer for the West Baton Rouge Sheriff's Office until his arrest on Sunday, WBRZ reported.

All three suspects have been charged with second-degree murder and first-degree feticide.

Williams said Johnson did not deserve what happened to her.

"She was the goofiest friend, very sweet person. She'll give you the shirt off her back. She was just that sweet. Those memories will never be forgotten," Williams said.

Porch, the former corrections officer, said he was shot by another unknown shooter who fired at his car as he drove off.

When questioned by police, Porch admitted to providing the weapons used in the shooting.

Porch also told investigators he gathered up the guns and had someone get them out of his car before police arrived.