by Wesley Harris
The suspect in the death of a Ruston man and the wounding of several others on Easter Sunday has been apprehended.
Lieutenant Kayla Loyd, public information officer for the Ruston Police Department, said Zyheim T. Butcher, 23, of Bastrop, was arrested without incident on the morning of May 8 in Harris County, Texas, by the U. S. Marshals Fugitive Task Force.
Butcher is charged with second degree murder, four counts of attempted second degree murder, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, and possession of a machine gun. Bail set at the time of the issuance of the warrants was $2.7 million.
At about 10 p.m. on April 20—Easter Sunday—a shooting occurred in the 300 block of South Farmerville Street. The incident resulted in the death of a man and superficial injuries to five bystanders.
At the time of the shooting, RPD officers were in a nearby parking lot responding to a large crowd. Upon hearing gunfire, officers immediately arrived at the scene and began administering first aid to the victims.
Authorities believe Butcher used a pistol with a switch to convert it to an illegal fully automatic machine gun.
Butcher is well known to north Louisiana law enforcement.
He was arrested in connection with a deadly shooting at Grambling State University during its homecoming week in October 2021. In that case, Butcher, then 19, was arrested by U. S. Marshals in December 2021 in Tarrant County, Texas and transferred back to Lincoln Parish. However, Third District Court records do not show a disposition for that case.
In January 2023, the Bastrop Police Department arrested Butcher in connection with the murder of two men in a vehicle at the dead end of Rosena Street. In that case, investigators obtained warrants for Butcher and arrested him January 23 for second degree murder, aggravated criminal damage to property and illegal use of a weapon.
The prosecution of the Bastrop case is still pending. According to court records, Butcher was released on bail and last appeared in Fourth District Court in August 2024 where he rejected a plea offer in the case. He is scheduled to return for a motions hearing on May 19.
Other pending cases against Butcher scheduled for hearings that day include illegal carrying of weapons, possession of a firearm while in possession of a controlled substance, possession of marijuana with intent to distribute, underage DWI, two counts of possession of marijuana, possession of a Schedule II controlled substance, several traffic charges, and second degree battery.
Lt. Loyd said RPD wished to thank the U. S. Marshals Office of the Western District of Louisiana and the U. S. Marshals Fugitive Task Force of Harris County for their assistance in the apprehension of Butcher.
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