Remembering a Shreveport Tragedy that Claimed the Lives of 6 Teens

We can not let the start of August go by without remembering a tragedy in our community that happened on August 2, 2010. It is considered one of the darkest days in Shreveport's history.

August 2, 2010, six teenagers from two families drowned in the Red River. The families were enjoying a summer outing on the bank of the river when one of the teens stepped off a sandbar and slipped into deep water. The other teens tried to help rescue their friend/cousin, but none of them could swim.

Please take a moment this week to remember these teenagers who we lost on that tragic day in 2010.

Takeitha Warner, 13
JaMarcus Warner, 14
JaTavious Warner, 17
Litrelle Stewart, 18
Latevin Stewart, 15
LaDairus Stewart, 17

Maude Warner was with her family on that day and she watched her 15-year-old nephew DeKendrick Warner slip off a ledge into fast moving, deeper water.

The other teens tried to help. Warner’s sons Jamarcus and JaTavious, and daughter Takeitha, were among the six children that drowned in the Red River trying to save their cousin. Her children were ages 14, 17 and 13.

15-year-old DeKendrick Warner was pulled to shore by someone, but the other five — including his brothers Jamarcus and JaTavious, sister Takeitha, 18-year-old Litrelle Stewart, 17-year-old LaDarius Stewart, and 15-year-old JaTavious Stewart — did not survive.

What Has Changed in Shreveport Since This Tragedy

Maude Warner says none of the teens could swim and the Red River was too much for them. Warner says she watched helplessly as the young people fought to help each other.