Louisiana Lyft Driver Found Shot in Ditch, Suspect Arrested

(KPEL News) - A 62-year-old woman was fatally shot in the head, and her body was found in a ditch by a delivery driver at around 11 o'clock Friday morning, according to the Calcasieu Parish Sheriff's Office.

What's known about the case?

The body of the woman was seen in the ditch by a delivery driver on Friday morning, who contacted police. Officials from the Calcasieu Parish Sheriff's Office came out to begin processing the scene for evidence. They noted the woman had been shot in the head several times.

At the time of the discovery of the body, they did not know the woman's identity.

Deputies say tips began coming into the Calcasieu Parish Sheriff's Office about the identity of the woman, who they were finally able to state was 62-year-old Lawanna J. Lewis of Lake Charles. Her body was found in the 200 block of Trousdale Road in Westlake.

At this point in the investigation, officers were able to learn that Lewis was a driver for Lyft and she had been working that day. Detectives sent out a BOLO (Be on the Lookout) for the woman's car, which they learned had been stolen.

Later that evening, deputies in Harris County, in the Houston, Texas area, located a vehicle matching the description of Lewis's vehicle. There were two men in the car when it was found.

What happened next led to the death of one of the two men they say have ties to the death of Lewis, according to the Harris County Sheriff's Office. ABC 13 Eyewitness News in Houston reports that the two men led officials on a high-speed chase after being found in a Walmart parking lot.

One of the men in the car fled, but he fled into traffic, and he was killed. He was identified as Ethan I Bush. The other person in the car also ran away but was caught by a deputy and identified as Tristan Bush. The Harris County Sheriff's Office arrested him.

Calcasieu Parish says that with help from officials in Harris County, evidence was found linking the two men to Lewis' killing.

Calcasieu officials say Tristan Bush will be extradited to their parish. He is being charged with second-degree murder. At the jail in Houston, Bush's bond was set at $2.5 million.

They add that more arrests are possible as they continue investigating this homicide case.

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