ERIK SANZENBACH / L’Observateur / November 17, 1999

LAPLACE – An altercation at a LaPlace shopping center early Sunday morning resulted in shots being fired and the arrest of three New Orleans men and one juvenile for attempted second degree murder.

According to Capt. Michael Tregre of the St. John Parish Sheriff’s Office,the motive for the shooting is not really known at this time.

“It could have either been an attempted armed robbery or an attempted carjacking,” Tregre said.

The victim was in his white Chevy Camaro talking to a friend who was sitting in another car, while parked in a shopping center parking lot at 1819 Airline Highway.

Tregre said that at 1:30 a.m. a green Dodge Stratus came up to the driver’sside of the Camaro. One of the men in the Dodge pulled out a gun anddemanded that the victim get out of his car.

The driver in the Camaro shifted into reverse and gunned the motor. Thegunman fired, but missed the driver and hit the Camaro instead. The Dodgethen took off, and the Camaro’s owner called the police.

Several minutes later, a St. Charles Parish deputy stopped a green DodgeStratus traveling east on Interstate 10. Inside were four males, threeadults and a juvenile all residents of New Orleans. The suspects werebrought back to St. John Parish and the intended victim identified the men.Arrested were Barry Jackson, 18, 1327 Mazant St., New Orleans; RaymondWashington, 22, 7732 Duke Court, New Orleans and Antoine Adams, 20, 7924 Mayo St., New Orleans. All three have been charged with attemptedsecond degree murder and contributing to the delinquency of a juvenile.

All three adults are still in the St. John Parish jail. Jackson is under a$400,500 bond, Adams has a $405,000 bond and Washington is under a $255,000 bond, set by 40th Judicial District Judge Mary Hotard Becnel.

The juvenile was in Judge Becnel’s court Monday morning for a hearing, but Tregre said that being a juvenile, his hearing was private.

Tregre would not release the identity of the man driving the Camaro for fear of retaliation.

All three adult suspects deny any involvement in the shooting.

The gun used in the shooting was not found, but St. Charles deputiesreported that while they were behind the suspect’s vehicle, something was thrown out of the car into Lake Ponchartrain.

Return To News Stories