Weekend violence claims four lives

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Wendell Tyrone Smith, 21, of 1970 Helm Drive, allegedly shot Phillip Robinson, 22, during an argument, deputies have said.

Smith, who surrendered to authorities later Saturday, told investigators Robinson insinuated he had a weapon after Smith showed him his gun, prompting Smith to shoot, deputies have said.

Investigators did not find a gun on Robinson, Casey Rayborn Hicks, a Sheriff’s Office spokeswoman, said Monday.

The second shooting the Sheriff’s Office worked this weekend happened about 9:15 p.m. Saturday, Hicks said.

Deputies found Ruben Osorio, 26, with multiple gunshot wounds in the 1200 block of West Azalea Park Drive, she said. Osorio later died at a hospital.

The motive for the shooting might have been an argument over the payment of beer, Hicks said.

Another four people were killed in East Baton Rouge Parish the previous weekend.

To date, 19 people have been killed this year in the parish. Last year, 23 people lost their lives to violence between January and April.
Detectives with the Baton Rouge Police Department are investigating 13 of this year’s 19 deaths while investigators the Sheriff’s Office are investigating the other six.

East Baton Rouge Parish Sheriff Sid Gautreaux said at a Monday Baton Rouge Press Club meeting that a lot of the crimes in the parish are drug related.

He also said that while deputies with his office are doing everything they can to prevent and solve crimes, they need the community’s help.

“When a crime is committed, he said, “someone knows something about it.”

But, not everyone is willing to talk to law enforcement, Gautreaux said.

While investigating the death of Robinson on Jade Lane Saturday, deputies saw people wearing shirts that said, “Stop snitching,” he said.