((UPDATE)) Three Arrested in February Hammond Drive-By Shooting Case
HAMMOND (June 30, 2026)- The Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff’s Office (TPSO) has arrested three suspects in connection with a drive-by shooting in February that killed a teenager.
Elliot James, 18, and Cormine Thomas, 20, have each been booked on one count of 2nd Degree Murder.
DeAlvin Davis, 19, has been booked on one count each of Accessory to 2nd Degree Murder, Possession of a Stolen Firearm and Possession of a Machine Gun.
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.
The investigation ultimately identified the suspect vehicle as Davis’s silver Lexus. At this time, the motive appears to be gang-related.
“This was a challenging case with very limited details to work from. But I am proud of our investigative team for working so diligently to ensure justice for Ravell and his loved ones,” said Sheriff Gerald Sticker.
TPSO Public Information Office, pio@tpso.org
