AMY SZPARA

LAPLACE – Three men have been arrested, and detectives expect to make at least three more arrests in an April 16 shooting which injured a LaPlace child. Jermain Carter, 19, 260 E. 13th St., and Tie Reese, 20, 221 E. 13th St., were booked with attempted first-degree murder Thursday. During the weekend, a third man, Robert Johnson, 20, of 451 Little Hope St., Garyville, was also booked on attempted first-degree murder charges. At this time, all authorities will say is the investigation is ongoing, and there have been several very lengthy foot chases in which police have attempted to capture other suspects. James Michael Leigh Turnipseed, 4, was hit by a bullet that flew through his home and pierced his lower back on April 16. Alone in his bedroom at 10:30 p.m., the boy was hit when the bullet shot through his Belle Pointe home and struck him. Shots were fired on Jefferson Street, where the Turnipseed family lives, and casings were later found in the street. A 9 mm gun was also found near the boy’s home. Authorities will not say if the gun was used in the shooting. “Some type of incident erupted in the street,” said Capt. Michael Tregre of the St. John Parish Sheriff’s Office. “There are a lot of things we’re investigating. Right now we are sifting through it all.” Kathy Turnipseed, the boy’s mother, said her son is now sleeping comfortably. “He is no longer allowed in that room. He will not sleep in that room again,” she said. The child’s parents said they heard what sounded like firecrackers on the evening of the shooting. “We ran to see where they had landed. We didn’t want anything catching on fire,” said Kathy Turnipseed. They were shocked to find what they thought were fireworks was gunfire and a bullet had hit their son. The Turnipseeds are now using James’ bedroom as a storage room to hold the boxes they are packing for a move. Before the shooting, the family also experienced vandalism to their property and vehicles. “We’re getting out of here altogether,” said Kathy Turnipseed. “We’re moving to Florida.” Authorities do not believe anyone meant to shoot the child. He was hit by a stray bullet, and a couple of cars were also shot. “I talked to the detective, and he said it turned out to be a lot more than what they thought when it started. Group A held up Group B at gunpoint, and Group B came back to gun them down. They were attempting to kill a guy,” said Kathy Turnipseed. The family is busy planning their move, which they expect to make in the next two weeks. James said he is excited about it. The boy said he is still afraid, and he sleeps in his parents’ bedroom at night. “A lot of it is psychological,” said Michael Turnipseed, James’ father. “He doesn’t even like being in the front part of the house. He doesn’t want to get too far away from us.” Kathy Turnipseed said the family was in the process of buying their home in Belle Pointe when the incident occurred. “I don’t even care about that. All I care about is getting out,” she said. James has stopped limping and is recuperating nicely. He has a bandage on his lower back where the bullet went in and one on his hip where it came out. “I got shot,” he said, as he showed his wounds. “I was scared.” Kathy Turnipseed is also worried about her other two children, 6 and 7. “They walked out at the same time he staggered out of his room. They saw everything. They saw all the blood and all,” she said. In addition to attempted first-degree murder, Carter was booked with criminal damage to property, criminal trespassing, negligent injuring, three counts of illegal use of weapons and three counts of aggravated criminal damage to property. Reese was booked with criminal trespassing, three counts of aggravated criminal damage to property, negligent injuring and three counts of illegal use of weapons. Robert was also booked with criminal damage to property, criminal trespass, three counts illegal use of weapons, three counts aggravated criminal damage to property, negligent injuring and two counts contempt of court. All three men are being held at the Sherman R. Walker Correctional Center in LaPlace.