By ROBIN SHANNON

Staff Reporter

GARYVILLE – St. John authorities arrested a Garyville man Thursday night in connection with the parish’s fourth homicide of the year, said a spokesman for the sheriff’s office.

Maj. Mike Tregre, public information officer for the St. John Sheriff’s Office, said deputies took Jermaine J. Weber, 20, 202 Historic West St., into custody around 9 p.m. Thursday. He said deputies received a tip that Weber was hiding out at a home in Belle Pointe in Reserve. He was arrested without incident.

Weber is the key suspect in a shooting earlier that afternoon that left one man dead and another injured. According to a report from the sheriff’s office, around 1:53 p.m. Thursday, deputies responded to several calls regarding shots being fired in the 100 block of Sherman Walker Street in Garyville.

Upon arrival at the scene, investigators were directed to a 1998 Toyota Camry parked a few blocks away near the intersection of Stout Street and River Road. Three men were found inside the vehicle, and two had been shot.

Tregre said the driver of the vehicle, 27-year-old Michael Taylor of Garyville, had been shot in the head and shoulder. He was transported to St. James Hospital and later airlifted to University Hospital in New Orleans where he succumbed to his injuries. The front passenger, 28-year-old Trevor Anderson of Lutcher, was shot in the shoulder. He was taken to River Parishes Hospital, treated for his injuries and released. A third passenger, sitting in the back of the car, was not injured in the shooting and was questioned by police before being released.

During the investigation, Tregre said witnesses pointed to an alley between houses in the 100 block of Sherman Walker Street. He said SWAT teams conducted a search of one of the homes but were met with negative results. He said investigators believe Weber was able to slip away from the scene through the alley. Weber was in possession of a .9-mm handgun and an AK-47 assault rifle at the time of the shooting. Both weapons were found in a garbage can near the scene

Weber was booked into the Sherman Walker Correctional Facility in LaPlace on one count of first-degree murder, two counts of attempted first-degree murder and two charges of contempt of court. No bond has been set on the murder charges.

Tregre said Weber had a minimal criminal history, but said he is currently serving a nine-year probation for a bank robbery in Clayton County, Ga.

Tregre said that the cooperation of the community was vital to investigators seeking out the suspect. He said it contributed to the speedy arrest of Weber.

“We had cooperation that other agencies wish they had,” said Tregre. “It really helped us out.”

Investigators do not have a clear motive for the shooting, and anyone with any information is asked to contact the Sheriff’s Office at 985-652-6338.