ST. LOUIS COUNTY, Mo. – A day after a brother and sister were gunned down in St. Louis County, prosecutors have filed charges against the suspected shooter.
According to detectives with the St. Louis County Police Department’s Bureau of Crimes Against Persons, the shooting took place around 9:35 a.m. Sunday in the 10700 block of Wurdack Avenue, located in an unincorporated part of the county just south of St. Ann and west of Overland.
The victims’ mother, Laura Cooper Rhodes, is grieving and trying to come to grips with the loss of her children.
“To come to somebody’s house and kill their kids in front of their momma…,” she said.
Officers arrived at the scene and found Marc Rhodes Jr., 19, suffering from a gunshot wound in the driveway of a home. They located Lanija Cooper, 20, a short distance away. Both victims were pronounced dead at the scene.
Laura Rhodes said she saw it happen.
“All you see is him shooting my son down. He didn’t shoot him for self-defense, he shot him to kill him,” she said. “Then you killed my daughter.”
Lanija was a well-known hairstylist and the mother of a 3-year-old boy. Marc worked at a local restaurant. Their mother and rest of the family want justice.
“You came directly to kill my daughter. My son was here to go to church with his mother and you killed my son,” Laura Rhodes said.
Police were able to recover a gun as part of the investigation and took Lamarr Harris, 19, into custody.
“I’m numb to it right now because I’m trying to figure out how I could be put in a position to see my son fighting for his life,” Laura said. “You came to kill my daughter; domestic violence. I wish I knew what was going on before yesterday.”
Investigators claim Harris suspected Cooper, whom he had a prior romantic relationship with, had slashed his new girlfriend’s tires the previous evening. Harris took a Lyft to the house where Cooper and Rhodes were staying. He had a .40 caliber pistol in his possession.
Investigators claim Harris confronted Rhodes outside the home and the two got into an argument. Rhodes punched Harris in the face. Harris took out his gun and shot Rhodes.
Police claim Harris tried to leave in a rideshare, but officers stopped the vehicle and made the arrest.
“You caught a Lyft to come and kill my kids. You are a coward,” Laura Rhodes said.
Residents heard the gunfire.
“You hear eight gunshots,” Robert Williams said. “My heart goes out. It was just brutal. It was gruesome. For people to live their lives and be shot. It sounded bad; like somebody meant to do it.”
The St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office charged Harris with second-degree murder and armed criminal action in Rhodes’ death. Charges for Cooper’s death are currently under advisement. Harris remains jailed on a $750,000 cash-only bond.
