By ROBIN SHANNON

L’Observateur

LAPLACE – A spate of violence in a matter of a few hours Saturday in Reserve resulted in the arrest of four men involved in separate but related incidents, according to the St. John the Baptist Parish Sheriff’s Office.

Capt. Dane Clement, spokesman for the St. John Sheriff’s Office, said neither incident is linked to a string of murders believed to be connected and under investigation in the Reserve area. Clement said separate investigations are under way.

In the first incident Saturday, a 25-year-old man sustained a gunshot wound to the chest during an argument that took place in the middle of Homewood Place in Reserve around 8:15 p.m., Clement said. The victim was taken to River Parishes Hospital in LaPlace and later transferred to University Hospital in New Orleans, where he underwent surgery and is in stable condition.

Clement said investigators know the victim and 23-year-old Issac Gant were arguing in the street when Gant pulled out a handgun and shot the victim. He said investigators do not know what sparked the argument.

Gant, who lives on Homewood Place, was arrested without incident at his home shortly after the shooting took place and was charged with attempted first-degree murder. He is being held at the Sherman Walker Correctional facility in LaPlace on a $250,000 bond.

A few hours later, around 11:40 p.m. Saturday, deputies were again called to Homewood Place in response to another shooting in the area. A man called police after he was shot at while driving down the street.

When deputies arrived, three family members in two separate vehicles said they were shot at in their cars. No one was injured, and neither car was hit. 

Based on statements given to deputies and evidence collected at the scene, deputies arrested Julius Fleming, 27, Davarian King, 22, and Michaelangelo Jones, 20, all of Reserve. All three were charged with aggravated assault with a firearm. Each are being held on a $7,500 bond.

Clement said although it is early in this investigation, detectives suspect the actions of Fleming, King and Jones were retaliation for the earlier shooting that evening. He said the victims in this case are family members of Gant, and one of the suspects arrested in the second shooting is the cousin of the victim in the first shooting.

Anyone with information regarding either incident should call St. John the Baptist Parish Sheriff’s Office detectives at 985-359-8769 or Crimestoppers at 504-822-1111.