A Man Is On The Run After Allegedly Killing His Parents And Three Members Of Another Family

Dakota Theriot, 21, is being sought after a shooting spree in Louisiana left five dead in two neighboring parishes.

Authorities in Louisiana are searching for a man suspected of fatally shooting his parents Saturday morning, as well as three other members of another family in a neighboring parish.

Dakota Theriot, 21, is being sought by sheriff’s officials over the string of deadly shootings that authorities have described as a “domestic incident.”

“This is probably, I would say, one of the worst domestic violence incidents I have seen in quite a while,” Ascension Parish Sheriff Bobby Webre told reporters Saturday. “For a young man to walk into a bedroom and kill his mother and his father, and then kill friends in Livingston that he had a connection with. ... It’s been a long time since we’ve had anything of this nature, of this magnitude, when it comes to domestic violence.”

Webre said his deputies received a call Saturday morning about a shooting in a trailer in Gonzales. They arrived to discover Elizabeth and Keith Theriot, both 51, with gunshot wounds.

One of the victims was conscious enough to tell authorities that they were shot by their son, Webre said.

They were both transported to a hospital in nearby Baton Rouge, but later died from their injuries.

While they were working the crime scene, the Ascension Parish Sheriff’s Office was contacted by deputies in neighboring Livingston Parish and informed that three members of one family had also been killed there in a trailer.

The dead there were identified as Billy Ernest, 43, Summer Ernest, 20, and Tanner Ernest, 17.

Webre said he believes Dakota Theriot could have been in a “boyfriend/girlfriend” relationship with one of the Ernest victims.

Theriot is said to be driving a 2004 Dodge Ram pickup truck with the license plate C583809 that belonged to his family.

“We do not believe the suspect to be in Livingston Parish at this time,” said the sheriff there, Jason Ard.

It’s believed he may have been driving in the direction of Mississippi.

Anyone who sees Theriot is urged to contact authorities.

“If you see this vehicle, report it,” said Webre. “I would not approach this vehicle. We feel that no doubt Dakota will be armed and dangerous, and we need to bring him to justice really quick.”

“Good news is we know who did this,” he added, “and we will soon find this person and put him in jail where he belongs.”

This is a developing story. Check back for updates or follow BuzzFeed News on Twitter.

CORRECTION

The victims in Livingston Parish were from the Ernest family. The Sheriff's Office there originally told media the family's name was spelled Earnest.

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