09/05/2025
Ruston Police Investigate Fatal Shooting; Suspect Captured After Multi-State Pursuit
Ruston, LA – On Thursday, September 4, 2025, at 11:50 p.m., officers with the Ruston Police Department were dispatched to the USA Travel Plaza convenience store located at 2500 West Alabama Avenue in reference to a shooting that had just occurred.
Upon arrival, officers located a deceased victim, identified as 35-year-old Ontario Spivey of Ruston. The scene was immediately secured, and investigators began processing evidence.
Through video surveillance, investigators identified both the suspect and the suspect’s vehicle. A Grambling City Police officer on scene was able to help identify the suspect as 31-year-old Virgil Mack Jr. of Dubach, Louisiana. A “Be on the Lookout” (BOLO) alert was quickly issued to surrounding law enforcement agencies.
Using recently implemented license plate reader technology; officers were able to determine Mack Jr.’s escape route. The suspect vehicle was detected traveling westbound on Interstate 20, and Louisiana State Police Troops F and G were notified. A State Trooper with Troop G attempted a traffic stop, but the suspect fled, initiating a pursuit.
The chase continued into Texas, where the suspect vehicle ultimately wrecked in Marshall, Texas. Following the crash, Mack Jr. was taken into custody along with two other occupants, thirty-seven-year-old Kourtney Douglass of Ruston and twenty-year old Kobe Mack of Dubach.
Ruston Police Chief Eric Watson praised the rapid and coordinated response, stating: “This is the kind of outcome the public should expect when agencies are able to work together. I would like to thank all the agencies that were involved in the swift apprehension of Virgil Mack Jr. Those include Grambling Police , Louisiana Tech University Police Department, Louisiana State Police Troops F and G, Shreveport Police Department , Marshall, Tx Police Dept., Harrison County Marshall Texas Sheriff's Office , and Texas Department of Public Safety .”
The investigation remains ongoing, and further details will be released as they become available.