Jesiah K. Stegmann

Jesiah K. Stegmann was a 29 year old artist, poet and dancer from Raceland, Louisiana, who had recently enrolled at Nicholls State University with the goal of becoming an art teacher. He died on Sunday, September 27, 2026, after being shot by a deputy of the Terrebonne Parish Sheriff's Office during an altercation in Chauvin, Louisiana.

Those who knew Stegmann described him as a free spirit who moved between jobs rather than settling into one career, and who expressed himself through drawing, poetry and dance. He drew pictures for his mother, including a hand drawn image of Jesus made as a birthday gift, and he was remembered by his family as an affectionate son and brother. Friends said he carried childhood trauma and had struggled with alcohol, attending rehabilitation in June 2026, but that in the months before his death he appeared to have found direction and had set his sights on finishing his studies at Nicholls State and teaching art.

Stegmann's death came at the hands of a sheriff's deputy during what authorities described only as an altercation. Local reporting noted that there had reportedly been two physical altercations involving Stegmann prior to the fatal encounter, a detail that left his family and friends struggling to reconcile with the person they knew. As of this writing, the Terrebonne Parish Sheriff's Office and Louisiana authorities had not released a full public account of what led to the shooting, and no additional details about the investigation had been made public.

News of Stegmann's death was announced by Nicholls State University, where he was a student, through the campus outlet Colonel Media Group. A memorial service was held on October 3, 2026, at Bethany Church on Barrow Street in Houma, where family and friends shared stories of his art, his humor and his loyalty as a friend. His sister, Hannah LeCompte, remembered him as someone who would always make sure the people he loved were taken care of, recalling that the last thing he did before they parted was hand her the purse she had almost forgotten.

Stegmann was predeceased by his father, Kenneth R. Stegmann, and is survived by his mother, Stacey Borne Stegmann, his sister Hannah (Jade) LeCompte, his nieces Noelle and Magnolia LeCompte, and extended family. He had no reported spouse or children of his own. His death, and the questions surrounding the circumstances of the shooting, remain the subject of community concern and continuing scrutiny in the Houma and Raceland area.