Louisiana Boy Scout Worker Killed Near Camp In Clinton

CLINTON, LA — A Boy Scout worker was shot multiple times and killed in front of his home on camp property near Clinton, Louisiana, where he worked, authorities said. It was the fourth shooting in the area since July — the second fatal shooting — but investigators aren't sure whether the shootings are related.

Brad DeFranceschi, 48, was shot multiple times about 11:15 a.m. Monday, East Feliciana Parish Sheriff Jeff Travis said at a news conference.

"We don't want to create any defense by putting out publicly a theory which may or may not be right," East Feliciana Parish Chief Deputy Greg Phares said. (For more information on DeFranceschi's death and other Baton Rouge-area stories, subscribe to Patch to receive daily newsletters and breaking news alerts. If you have an iPhone, click here to get the free Patch iPhone app.)

Local media report that the FBI has been asked to help investigate.

Three other men also were shot at their homes or on their property. Those killed were Thomas Bass, 62, on July 8, and Carroll Breeden, 66, on Sept. 19. Buck Hornsby, 47, was wounded Sept. 12, 10 miles down state Highway 63 from DeFranceschi's home.

Breeden, a former Baton Rouge parks official, and Hornsby both were near a road, but whoever killed Bass would have come up onto his property to do so, Travis said.

The Avondale Scout Reservation website lists DeFranceschi as a camp ranger — someone who maintains the camp. The camp is outside Clinton, about 29 miles north of Baton Rouge.

"He was the face of Avondale," Nolan Reynerson, 34, who has worked and volunteered with Boy Scouts for much of his life, told The Advocate .

He said DeFranceschi had worked there for 17 years and was a community cornerstone: "He put a smile on and wore his uniform proudly and was there for every event."

Reynerson said DeFranceschi went beyond maintenance of the 1,600-acre campground, volunteering with his son's and daughter's scout troops, and used his experience as a Navy submarine cook to transform the camp food, improving the meals and opening a fruit and salad bar.

"He's become a staple in the camp," Reynerson said. "He did whatever was needed, whether it was fixing something at the camp, teaching kids merit badges ... he was willing."

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