UPDATE: On February 24, 2021, at approximately 12:00 pm, Kareem Gatlin, 18 years old of Hammond, turned himself in to Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff’s Office in Robert.
He was transferred to HPD for booking. Gatlin was charged with Second Degree Murder, Obstruction of Justice, Illegal Discharge of a Firearm, Aggravated Obstruction of a Roadway, and Aggravated Criminal Damage to Property. On February 19, 2021, the Hammond Police Department responded to a shooting in the 800 block of East Merry Street. Upon arrival, officers located a male victim, Michael Otkins II, 20 years old from Tickfaw, in a vehicle suffering from what appeared to be a gunshot wound to the upper body. HPD, Hammond Fire Department, and Acadian Ambulance rendered aid, and the male victim was transported to North Oaks Medical Center where he later succumbed to his injuries. Detectives have obtained arrest warrants for Kareem Gatlin for Second Degree Murder, Obstruction of Justice, Illegal Discharge of a Firearm, Aggravated Obstruction of a Roadway, and Aggravated Criminal Damage to Property.
