By David Vitrano
L’Observateur

LAPLACE – The weekend in the River Parishes ended in gunshots and bloodshed as the area recorded two homicides Sunday.
At 7:48 p.m. St. John the Baptist Parish Sheriff’s Office deputies responded to the 200 block of East 13th Street in Reserve when they received report of a man shot in the chest.
The victim, identified as Cardell Cosey, 31, of East 14th Street in Reserve, was transported to the hospital for treatment where he succumbed to his injuries.
Anyone with information regarding this incident is encouraged to call the St. John the Baptist Parish Sheriff’s Office TIPS line at 985-359-TIPS or Crimestoppers at 504-822-1111.
Citizens with information about this incident that call Crimestoppers do not have to testify in court and may qualify for a cash reward.
This homicide is the 14th homicide in St. John the Baptist Parish this year.
Shortly afterward, deputies in St. Charles Parish were dispatched to St. Rose, where they also encountered a gunshot victim.
When deputies arrived on the Third Street scene at about 9:15 p.m., they found 23-year-old Ramal Ellis lying in the roadway behind the Fifth African Baptist Church. Ellis had sustained multiple gunshot wounds and was pronounced deceased on the scene.
Anyone with information regarding this homicide is asked to contact Detective Jeremy Pitchford at 985-783-1135 or 985-783-6807. Citizens may also contact Crime Stoppers at 1-877-903-STOP.  Citizens do not have to give their name or testify and could receive up to $2,500.