The shooting death of a college student has led to an arrest by Ruston Police.
At about 2 a.m. Friday morning, RPD officers responded to the CEV Ruston apartment complex at 1812 W. Alabama Ave. in response to a shooting.
Officers found Neangela Smith, 22, with a gunshot wound. The Grambling State student was pronounced dead at the scene.
Police said Nicholas Morris, 22, was arrested for negligent homicide following an investigation. No other details have been released. Police said the investigation is continuing.
Morris was booked at the Lincoln Parish Detention Center and has since bonded out.
Grambling State University announced counseling services would be available for anyone needing assistance in dealing with the loss. Smith, a GSU criminal justice major, was from Boyce, Louisiana.
The Louisiana Criminal Code describes negligent homicide as “the killing of a human being by criminal negligence.” According to the Code, “Criminal negligence exists when, although neither specific nor general criminal intent is present, there is such disregard of the interest of others that the offender’s conduct amounts to a gross deviation below the standard of care expected to be maintained by a reasonably careful man under like circumstances.”
Negligent homicide carries a penalty of up to five years in prison, a fine up to $5,000, or both.
