A LaPlace man has been arrested and charged with murder after authorities said he shot an acquaintance during an argument and placed the body in the trunk of the victim’s car. St. John Parish Sheriff Mike Tregre described the case as particularly disturbing. “Shocking, unbelievable, and almost unreal,” Tregre said.
The incident happened Saturday night in Reserve. Deputies responded around 9:30 p.m. to reports of shots fired in the 300 block of Railroad Avenue, near Riverside Academy, per New Orleans CBS affiliate WWL.
“We were then informed that an individual was by the car and appeared to be loading a body inside of a Dodge Charger, orange in color,” Tregre explained. Deputies later located the vehicle at a Marathon gas station on Airline Highway. The driver, identified as 21-year-old Tyler Bourgeois, immediately stepped out of the car.
“As officers approached him, he voluntarily informed officers that a body was in the trunk of the vehicle that he was driving,” Tregre said. Deputies discovered the body of 21-year-old Tylen Anderson inside the trunk. Anderson had been fatally shot in the head.
According to investigators, Bourgeois and Anderson had been riding together earlier in the evening when an argument escalated. The two pulled over, and Bourgeois allegedly drew a gun and shot Anderson. Family members expressed their devastation after learning of the killing.
Anderson’s cousin, Shondrell Perrilloux, described him as a kind young man with a passion for video games and strong family ties. “We’re a praying family, and he was a very good child, very solid growing up. He used to like to play video games, and that’s why this is so unreal to me,” Perrilloux said.
She added that Anderson, who was from Norco and attended Destrehan High School, was deeply loved. “We’re grieving and we just want justice, and we pray for the family of the suspect as well, but as a family we’re trying to process this. His mom is devastated.”
Investigators said Bourgeois confessed to the killing during an interview after being taken into custody. He was booked on a charge of second-degree murder and is being held at the St. John Parish Correctional Center on a $250,000 bond.
When asked if the crime could be considered execution-style, Sheriff Tregre replied, “Being shot in the temple, it sounds like an execution to me as well.” Authorities confirmed Bourgeois had no prior criminal history. The investigation remains ongoing as the community mourns the violent loss of a young life.