/ L’Observateur / November 15, 1999

LAPLACE – A Waggaman man is the latest to be arrested in the drive-by shooting of a motorist on Airline Highway on Oct. 23.Rudolph Johnson, 32, 40 Cynthia St., Waggaman, was charged with being aprincipal to attempted first-degree murder.

Capt. Michael Tregre of the St. John Parish Sheriff’s Office added thatadditional arrests are expected in the case. “We will likely have a fewmore,” he commented.

Earlier, on Oct. 29, two other persons were arrested in connection to thesame incident – Louis Johnson, 20, 346 Central Ave., Edgard; and DonRoussel, 19, 251 Central Ave., Edgard. Louis Johnson, believed to have beenthe actual shooter, was charged with two counts of attempted first- degree murder. Roussel was charged as an accessory.According to police, both confessed to the shooting and led investigators to the suspect weapon, a Chinese-made SKS semi-automatic assault rifle.

The victim, a Garyville man, was returning to the East Bank, accompanied by a female friend. They had just crossed the Veterans Memorial Bridge inGramercy and were eastbound on Airline, approaching Garyville.

At that point, a second vehicle allegedly containing the above-named suspects pulled alongside and gunfire erupted. Six bullets struck thevictim’s car and two struck the male driver.

Exact motivation for the shooting was not revealed, except that the suspects apparently knew the driver and it was a revenge-type shooting.

After being shot, the victim managed to reach a telephone and called for help.

The victim, whom the police refuse to identify, has been released from the River Parishes Hospital.

Anyone with further information to assist in the investigation is urged to call Detective Sgt. Darryl Marchand at 652-9513.

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