SHREVEPORT, La. — Newly released video, audio, and investigative records are shedding light on a deadly house fire in Shreveport that killed four members of a family, as relatives pursue legal action alleging critical delays and failures by emergency responders.
The April 6, fire on Kemp Lane claimed the lives of Mildred Carter-Rawls, 84, her granddaughter Eureka Garner, 56, and Garner’s two young granddaughters, Tayona Robinson, 7, and Ne’vaeh Garner, 5. Nearly a year later, the victims’ families have filed two wrongful death lawsuits against the City of Shreveport, former fire Capt. Devin Kennedy and the Shreveport Fire Department.
Records obtained through an public records request by KTBS include internal interviews conducted by fire investigators, offering a detailed account of the response by crews from Station 6.
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According to those records, crews were dispatched around 6:41 a.m. for what was described as a “possible house fire.” Engine 6 arrived just over two minutes later and encountered flames coming from the front of the home.
Video from the scene shows firefighter Byronesha Santiago quickly exiting the truck and assisting with deploying a hose line, while fire engineer James Lattier drove the engine and helped manage equipment at the scene.
Kennedy, who led the crew, took additional time to put on his gear. Investigators noted Kennedy was not fully dressed in protective equipment upon arrival and at one point did not have his helmet, which Lattier later retrieved from the truck.
Kennedy described the chaotic start to the response, telling investigators, “That was not a routine morning at all.”
He acknowledged the delay in getting fully equipped, saying, “I want to say when we were en route, I put my bunker gear on, the bottom part. I didn’t have it all on until we got on scene.” When pressed further, he added, “I noticed I didn’t have it when we got up to the front. It’s happened before. I’m not the first guy.”…