Eric Black Jr., Jazmine Barnes' shooting suspect, was arrested for gun possession in Louisiana

Eric Black Jr. was charged with capital murder in connection with the slaying of Jazmine Barnes. Eric Black Jr. was charged with capital murder in connection with the slaying of Jazmine Barnes. Photo: HCSO Photo: HCSO Image 1 of / 17 Caption Close Eric Black Jr., Jazmine Barnes' shooting suspect, was arrested for gun possession in Louisiana 1 / 17 Back to Gallery

One of the men accused in Jazmine Barnes’ drive-by shooting death, Eric Black Jr., was previously busted in Louisiana after being caught with a firearm with a destroyed serial number, according to local authorities.

Black, 20, has no known arrests in Texas but, in March 2017, while driving back to Houston from New Orleans, he and two passengers were pulled over along Interstate 10, Jennings Police Chief Danny Semmes said Wednesday night.

An officer smelled marijuana coming from the car and searched Black’s vehicle along the busy Louisiana highway. The drug and two pistols were found, including one with a destroyed serial number.

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Semmes said Black, who was then 18, was charged with possession of a firearm with an obliterated number. A passenger was charged for possessing the Schedule 1 narcotic.

“We’re not a big agency, but we deal with about 10,000 traffic stops a year on the interstate,” Semmes said. “At the time, there was nothing that stood out about his arrest. It was one of numerous arrests we make every day."

Michael Cassidy, the Jefferson Davis Parish District Attorney whose office received the charges, did not respond to a request for comment.

Black’s arrest made the Jennings Daily News police blotter on March 19 of that year.

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Black landed behind bars again over the weekend during a traffic stop that prompted a capital murder charge for the early morning shooting on Dec. 30 that killed 7-year-old Jazmine and wounded her mother near a Walmart in east Harris County.

He confessed to driving the car used in the shooting and that he and his passenger, Larry Woodruffe, mistook a car with Jazmine's family inside for a group the two men argued earlier that night, according to prosecutors.

Woodruffe is slated to appear in court Thursday.