An attempted murder-suicide in Elmwood has left a mother of two dead and her ex-husband also deceased following a violent incident Thursday morning that began at an apartment complex and ended in a nearby parking lot.
Meridian Woodson, 28, was shot and killed by her former spouse, 30-year-old Kody Woodson of Westwego, inside her apartment at the Palmetto Creek complex in the 5100 block of Citrus Boulevard, according to authorities. Officials said she was the mother of two young girls, ages 4 and 7.
Deputies were dispatched to the residence shortly after 10 a.m. after receiving a 911 call reporting a disturbance. When officers arrived, they found Meridian Woodson suffering from at least one gunshot wound. She was pronounced dead at the scene.
Following the shooting, investigators located the suspect’s silver extended-cab GMC pickup truck parked at a nearby shopping center at 5151 Citrus Boulevard. Authorities said the vehicle was found with its doors open, and evidence indicated the suspect had suffered a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
The man was transported to a local hospital in critical condition.
No known motive
Investigators declined to publicly identify Woodson’s former husband, a 30-year-old Westwego man who was hospitalized in critical condition after Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office investigators said he shot himself in the parking lot of a shopping center adjacent to his ex-wife’s apartment complex.
Come Friday morning, a spokesperson for the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office confirmed that the suspect in the case was pronounced dead at the hospital.
Stated Star Boquet in a Facebook post: “Now Lileigh & Paisley are without both their mother and father. Pray for Meridian Thomas Woodson and pray for her precious girls. 🩷 ‘I will miss you but know those girls will be loved and taken care of. They will always know who their GEM of a mother was.’”
Elmwood is an unincorporated Jefferson Parish community located just west of New Orleans along the Jefferson Highway and Clearview Parkway commercial corridor.
The investigation remains ongoing.
