23-year-old shot dead near basketball court
Black-on-white homicide
Summary: A 23-year-old man, Taylor Joseph Geter, was fatally shot in the groin at Waterside Park on April 26. The shooting erupted after a brief argument near a basketball court in Shreveport, Louisiana when a 15-year-old boy fired a handgun. Geter died at the hospital that night, becoming the city’s 18th homicide of the year. Police arrested the juvenile suspect shortly afterward.
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Once again, impulse control seems to be the driving factor behind a shooting incident. Waterside Park sits in a quiet corner of Shreveport, Louisiana where neighbors gather most evenings to play basketball, chat on the sidelines, or simply enjoy the open air. On April 26, that ordinary rhythm shattered. Twenty-three-year-old Taylor Joseph Geter arrived for what should have been another relaxed night among friends. Instead, he left the park in an ambulance and never made it home.
The trouble began near the basketball court in the 200 block of East Dudley Drive. Two men started arguing. Others quickly stepped between them and pulled the pair apart. Tension seemed to ease. Moments later, a 15-year-old boy—the younger brother of one of the men—drew a handgun and fired. The bullet struck Geter in the groin. He collapsed on the spot.
Officers arrived just after 11 p.m. Paramedics raced Geter to Ochsner LSU Health, but doctors could not save him. He was pronounced dead at 11:41 p.m. The Caddo Parish Coroner’s Office identified him through fingerprints and ordered an autopsy. His death became Shreveport’s 18th homicide of the year.
Geter was born February 9, 2003, and grew up in the Shreveport-Bossier City area. Family members remember him as a young man with deep faith who cherished time with loved ones. He is survived by his parents, Joe Henry Geter Jr. of Shreveport and Lisa McRae Geter of Bossier City. Visitation was held in early May, followed by services at Hillcrest Funeral Home and burial at Hillcrest Memorial Park.
Detectives moved quickly. They took the teenage shooter into custody that same night. Because he is a juvenile, his name has not been released. He now faces homicide-related charges.
Incidents like this force communities to confront hard realities. A disagreement that appeared settled suddenly spiraled because a young person had access to a gun. No one at the park that night expected the evening to end in irreversible loss. Yet one impulsive act changed everything—for Geter’s family, for the other people present, and for a city already tracking its homicide count.
Neighbors continue to process the shock. Many who knew Geter speak of him as more than a statistic: a son, a friend, and someone whose presence mattered. His story lingers as a painful example of how quickly everyday moments can turn tragic when weapons enter the picture.
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Suspects are considered innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
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KSLA: One man dead after shooting on East Dudley Drive
KTBS: Juvenile arrested in Dudley Drive fatal shooting
Caddo Parish Coroner details and victim identification
Taylor Joseph Geter obituary
Nothing good ever happens on a basketball court. Just say no to basketball, and to Basketball-Americans