 Royce Burse |
Royce Burse, 28, of LaPlace was booked September 20, 2016 in connection with the fatal shooting of Samantha Griffin, 46, of LaPlace. On Friday, September 16, 2016, about 9 p.m., St. John the Baptist Parish Sheriff’s Office deputies and emergency medical services responded to an apartment in the 300 block of East Airline Highway in LaPlace for the report that a female was shot. Deputies arrived on the scene to find Griffin with an apparent gunshot wound to her left arm. Griffin was pronounced dead on the scene. Burse was arrested September 17, 2016 on unrelated charges including possession of cannabinoids/synthetic marijuana and a probation/parole violation. During the investigation, detectives recovered a weapon and casings that was used in the shooting, and are being led to believe robbery may have been the motive. On September 20, detectives booked Burse with second degree murder and possession of a firearm/carrying concealed weapon by a convicted felon. He is in custody at the Sherman Walker Corrections Center in lieu of a $766,500 bond. The investigation is ongoing. Anyone with information regarding the shooting incident is encouraged to call the Sheriff’s Office TIPS line at 985-359-TIPS or Crimestoppers at 504-822-1111.
Original Post of Sept 17, 2016
On Friday, September 16, 2016, at 9:00 pm, St. John the Baptist Parish Sheriff’s Office deputies and emergency medical services responded to an apartment in the 300 block of East Airline Highway in LaPlace for the report that a female was shot. Deputies arrived on the scene to find the 46- year-old female victim, identified as Samantha Griffin of LaPlace, with an apparent gunshot wound to her left arm. The victim was pronounced dead on the scene. This investigation is active. 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. Citizens can also submit tips on the Sheriff’s Office website at https://stjohnsheriff.org/crime-arrests/crime-tips/.