Two teenagers arrested in Berwick shooting

A 16-year-old has been arrested and accused of firing a weapon Saturday at a Utah Street family gathering, Berwick police said Sunday.

No one was wounded, but an occupied mobile home was hit by gunfire, police said.

Along with the 16-year-old male, a 17-year-old female was arrested and accused of trying to throw the weapon out a window.

According to the Berwick Police Department account:

Officers received a call about 4:51 p.m. Saturday about shots fired in the 700 block of Utah.

The first officers to arrive quickly learned that a verbal altercation took place at a residence in which a large family gathering was taking place. During the course of the investigation, it was learned that Individuals at the gathering had the altercation with another group of subjects, who were walking in the area of the railroad tracks.

At some point, one of the subjects in the group on the railroad tracks pulled out a handgun and began to discharge the firearm in the direction of the gathering, police said.

No one was struck by the gunfire, but it was later learned that a trailer, occupied at the time, was hit by the gunfire. Through investigative means, investigators gathered information that identified a 16-year-old male as the shooter.

Investigators later obtained two search warrants for residences in the Berwick area. With the assistance of the St. Mary Parish Sheriff’s Office and Morgan City Police Department, the search warrants were executed simultaneously without incident.

During the course of the search warrants, investigators located the 16-year-old at one location, and at the other located a firearm that is believed to have been used in the crime.

While officers executed one of the search warrants, a 17-year-old female was observed discarding a bag out a rear window. The bag was recovered and found to contain the firearm, police said.

After gathering evidence that linked both juveniles to the crime, warrants were prepared and led to the two arrests late Saturday.