((UPDATE)) Arrest Made in Deadly Interstate Drive-By Shooting
HAMMOND (May 1, 2026)- The Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff’s Office (TPSO) has made one arrest, but is still seeking information on additional suspects, in the case of a February interstate drive-by shooting that killed a teenager.
On Thursday, April 30, 19-year-old DeAlvin Davis was charged with one count of Accessory to 2ndDegree Murder. Davis was already in the Tangipahoa Parish Jail awaiting trial on unrelated charges.
Around 2 a.m. on Sunday, Feb. 22, TPSO received reports of shots fired on the I-55 northbound entrance ramp at University Avenue. Deputies arrived to find two vehicles pulled over on the on-ramp with one of the drivers, 18-year-old Ravell Javion Steptoe, dead from a gunshot wound. Two other occupants from the vehicles were unharmed.
Deputies learned the two vehicles, a black Kia sedan driven by the victim, and a newer-model blue Ford Mustang driven by the victim’s relative, had pulled over to exchange an item. While pulled over, a third vehicle drove past, firing at the cars, fatally striking Steptoe.
While this arrest has been made, TPSO detectives are still actively working this case to identify and arrest additional suspects.
Anyone with information related to this incident, no matter how minor it may seem, is strongly encouraged to share that information with Detective Webb at 985-748-3332.
If you’d prefer to share information anonymously, you can do so through CrimeStoppers of Tangipahoa’s tip line at 1-800-554-5245 or visit www.tangicrimestoppers.com and click on the P3 Tips icon or Submit A Tip!
Tips submitted directly through Crimestoppers may be eligible for a cash reward.
TPSOPublic Information Office, pio@tpso.org
