Nearly a week after a man was shot during an attempted robbery, a trail of what appears to be blood still stains the sidewalk of the 200 block of East Boyd Drive
Early Wednesday morning, a man was shot twice after refusing to give his wallet to an armed man. The crime occurred around 1:45 a.m., according to the Baton Rouge Police Department.
Cpl. L’Jean McKneely, spokesperson for BRPD, said the victim’s name has not been released because the suspect is still at large. The victim’s condition remains stable after being brought to an area hospital early Wednesday morning.
According to McKneely, BRPD is not planning to make any changes to uniformed patrol routes.
Anna Putnam, criminal justice junior and hostess at nearby restaurant Hello Sushi on Burbank, said she used to walk to work before the shooting. She was concerned about the shooting but did not expect to see any specific response from police.
“There is nothing [the police] can really do about it,” she said. “They can’t sit at every street corner and wait for something to happen.”
Chris Fontaine, a resident of Highland Village Condominiums located near the scene of the crime, said the news of the shooting will not cause him to walk the streets at night in fear.
“I’m happy with where I live,” he said. “This isn’t the ghetto or anything so something like this doesn’t really concern me much.”
Maj. Lawrence Rabalais, LSUPD spokesperson, said LSUPD meets weekly with BRPD to discuss crime in the campus area. The joint effort allows them to share information and “find trends,” he said. The shooting on East Boyd was one of the crimes discussed in their meeting.
LSUPD’s Web site gives suggestions to students on how to avoid dangerous situations while on foot. According to the site, students should avoid walking alone at night, know the area they are traveling, take commonly traveled routes and avoid isolated areas.
Rabalais provided additional advice on how to respond to an armed gunman.
“Police are trained to deal with these situations; others are not,” he said. “Give them whatever they are asking for. Wallets and material things can be replaced.”
—Contact Mark Macmurdo at [email protected]