AROUND HIGHER EDUCATION: LSU student killed at party

The Reveille BATON ROUGE, La. (U-WIRE) --EA Louisiana State University student was shot and killed early Saturday morning as he was leaving a party in the Gardere Lane area. Benjamin Carter, 22, of West Garfield Street in Baton Rouge, was transported to Our Lady of the Lake Regional Medical Center and was pronounced dead at 5:12 Saturday morning, said Captain Paul Maranto of the East Baton Rouge Parish Sheriff's Office. Carter, who had previously left the party, returned with his brother and another individual to retrieve one of the men's alarm clock, Maranto said. Carter was leaving the party at 1844 Jasper Ave. for the second time when he was shot, according to Maranto. On Sunday, parish deputies arrested Lavar Riley, of 2021 Helm Dr., on charges of second degree murder, Maranto said. Riley, along with a group of young men in their late teens and early 20s, were asked to leave the party at the apartment earlier Friday evening because they were causing trouble, he said. Riley allegedly came back to the party approximately 30 minutes later armed with a semi-automatic pistol, he said. As the three men exited the apartment, the gunman opened fire and killed Carter, Maranto said. Police responded to the initial phone call at 4:16 a.m. Saturday, he said. Riley probably got frustrated when he was thrown out of the party earlier that evening and was coming back to retaliate against the offending party, Maranto said. The shooter was likely startled when he saw Carter and the other two men leaving the apartment, an event which sparked the gunfire, Maranto added. Carter's brother and the other individual walked out of the apartment in front of him, but Carter was the only one hit in the gunfire, Maranto said. "He just happened to be a victim of circumstances," Maranto said. Police have no reason to believe the individuals involved knew each other before the incident, Maranto added.