RESERVE — The community surrounding Northwest First Street in Reserve is small and close-knit, authorities said, and the neighbors were naturally shaken up when one of their own was found violently in January.

“(The detectives) saw that the neighborhood was in fear,” St. John Sheriff Mike Tregre said. “There were a good bit of neighbors at the scene. We saw their fear and we knew we had to solve this case.”

The neighborhood began gathering at approximately 3:25 p.m. Jan. 31 — a Thursday — because word was spreading that something bad happened to Ashton Fleming.

The 29-year-old had been found unresponsive in his Reserve home that afternoon after a friend forced his way into the location when no one had heard from Fleming.

First responders eventually gave way to detectives as it was quickly discovered Fleming was dead, the victim of multiple gunshots.

Police ultimately determined Fleming was killed during the morning on Jan. 30, more than 24 hours before he was discovered.

Kaelon Terrance Charles, 23, of Reserve was charged Feb. 3 with illegal possession of a stolen firearm and unauthorized entry of an inhabited dwelling.

Police said this week that those charges relate to Fleming’s killing.

Three weeks later, Charles was charged with second degree murder, officially linked to Fleming’s death.

Tregre said detectives are not going to release a perceived motive for the killing. However, the sheriff noted Charles was captured with two guns in his possession.

“Both of those guns were used in the homicide of Ashton Fleming,” Tregre said. “They were confirmed. They were sent to the lab, and we have a ballistics match.”

Police do not anticipate identifying any other suspects connected to the killing.

Tregre credited the “non-stop effort” of detectives in securing the murder charge.

“Outstanding police work; we worked this from the day we found Ashton,” Tregre said. “If the community continues to help us, we can continue this trend that when these tragedies happen, we will be successful (making arrests). In cases like this, we will get justice for the families of these crimes and tragedies. If the community keeps directing me and pointing us in the right direction, we, as a community and Sheriff’s Office, will continue to be successful.”

Charles is being held in custody in lieu of a $275,000 bond.

At the time of the death, authorities believed Fleming and his killer knew each other. Tregre said there were no forced entry indicators at the scene. Robbery was not believed to be a motive.