Disclaimer: All persons are presumed innocent until proven guilty. A local family is happy to be alive without anyone getting hurt after a gunman kept them inside their home, later surrendering himself to the police. On Saturday, March 25, 2023, Monroe Police received a call of a barricaded individual inside a residence on Cagle Drive, who allegedly had a firearm in his possession. According to MPD, thankfully, the victim and her four children were outside the home when officers arrived. The female victim told officers that the alleged suspect, identified as 33-year-old Kaice Handy, was armed after allegedly taking a firearm from her. At one point, the victim said that she was fearful that the suspect would harm her, saying that her four children tried to escape from the residence through a bedroom window but were unsuccessful. Officers tried to get Handy to vacate the residence after the family was safely out of harm's way. He refused. Officers tried to persuade Handy through commands to surrender for over an hour, but ultimately requested that the MPD SWAT Team come to the residence. The SWAT team arrived and assisted officers in getting Handy through further negotiations to finally surrender, which he did around 5:38 PM that evening. According to reports, officers entered the premises and found a 9mm Taurus handgun. Handy, according to MPD, denied the incident happened. Officers learned that Handy and the victim shared a one-year-old daughter from a two-year relationship that has since dissolved. Upon further investigation by officers, Handy is an alleged convicted felon prohibited from possessing a firearm and has an "active" protective order against him. Handy is charged with Parole Violations, Possession of a Firearm or Carrying a Concealed Weapon by a Person Convicted of Certain Felonies, Violation of Protective Order, Domestic Abuse Aggravated Assault, Five (5) Counts of False Imprisonment, and Offender Armed with Dangerous Weapon. There is a B.A.L.M. in Monroe, a spiritual solution to a social problem. A B.A.L.M. in Monroe is a collaborative plan that every citizen, elected and appointed official, clergyman, and organization can participate in to help improve the image of Monroe while inspiring at-risk males to take more responsibility for their actions and respect the lives of others. A balanced approach to lower the violent crime and murder rate in Monroe, LA. Praise God for law enforcement! There are three sides to every story. This was one side of this story. The Monroe Dispatch welcomes the other or another side of this story.

Kaice Handy