By ROBIN SHANNON

L’Observateur

LAPLACE – A LaPlace teen was arrested on second-degree murder charges Thursday evening in connection with the shooting death of a 19-year-old LaPlace man, St. John Sheriff Wayne Jones said Friday.

Darrious A. Warren, 17, of 2337 Williamsburg Drive, was booked into the Sherman Walker Correctional Facility around 6 p.m. Thursday after turning himself over to authorities, Jones said. He said Warren is being held at the jail on a $1 million bond set by District Court Judge Mary Hotard Becnel. Jones said Warren has no prior criminal record.

During a press briefing at the Sheriff’s Office Friday Jones, along with Chief of Detectives Maj. Robert Hay, said more arrests in connection with the incident, which occurred around 10:45 p.m. Monday night in the 2400 block of Cambridge Drive, would be forthcoming. Hay said Warren was the lone gunman in the shooting of 19-year-old Claude Holmes, but said others were involved in the incident. Hay said the shooting stemmed from an attempted armed robbery of the victim.

According to a release from the Sheriff’s Office a resident of the block called police after finding 19-year-old Claude Holmes lying in the street with an apparent gunshot wound to his buttocks.

Capt. Dane Clement, public information officer for the Sheriff’s Office, said when deputies arrived on the scene they found Holmes unconscious, leaning against a car parked on the street. He said Holmes died on the scene.

Clement said an autopsy showed that Holmes suffered a single gunshot wound and the bullet pierced a major artery in Holmes lower body. He said Holmes bled out at the scene in a matter of minutes.

Hay said the investigation revealed that a group of individuals were attempting to rob Holmes when the shooting took place.

He said Holmes attempted to run just before the shots were fired.

Jones said eyewitness accounts of the incident were pivotal in the investigation and helped lead detectives to an arrest Thursday. He said authorities had another individual in custody Friday morning, but were not prepared to release any more information.