Hammond, La.—Police have arrested a New Orleans man and are searching for another from Gretna in the murder of a Southeastern Louisiana University student last week.
20-year-old Richard Hudson of New Orleans was arrested at his residence Saturday. Monday afternoon, authorities were still looking for the second suspect, identified as 20-year-old Terry Michael Landry of Gretna.
"It was pretty shocking. I mean, it's all just college kids that live here, so being so close to campus it was kind of scary," said Southeastern student Cole Prejean, who lives in the complex where the murder occurred.
Authorities said 23-year-old Raphael Garrison was found shot to death inside his apartment in the 1800 block of North Oak Street.
"The victim was found shot in his apartment in the kitchen area," said Lt. Vincent Giannobile of the Hammond Police Department.
Initially some students feared it was a random shooting. "I was worried about if they were going to come into anyone's apartment," said student Hunter Slyveste, who also lives in the Oak Street apartment complex.
"It appears to be a bad narcotics deal, or a robbery of some sort," said Lt. Giannobile.
And while some of the students living in the complex are understandably shaken, others said on Monday that they never thought it was a random crime.
"Wouldn't expect it to happen here, you know, we're friends with a lot of the people that live here so it surprises us that it could be one of them," stated Prejean.
And now the crime so close to campus is dominating conversations. "Everywhere we go, out, on campus, anywhere," said Prejean.
