BATON ROUGE — UWK has learned that one of the teens recently arrested in connection with the June 30th fatal shooting near Scotlandville was out on bond at the time for charges stemming from a December 2024 shooting on the Baton Rouge levee. That same teen had also previously been arrested in a case involving the death of a 15-year-old student.
The fatal shooting occurred just after 3 p.m. on Monday, June 30, near Avenue J and Woodpecker Street in the Scotlandville area. When officials arrived, they found a 22-year-old man, later identified as Victor Lapharohs, dead at the scene with multiple gunshot wounds.
On July 4, 17-year-old Eddie Monroe was arrested for his alleged involvement in the shooting. He has been charged with second-degree murder. A 16-year-old suspect was also taken into custody.
At the time of Lapharohs’ death, Monroe was out on bond for a separate shooting that occured on December 14, 2024, atop the Baton Rouge levee. That incident reportedly started as an argument and escalated when individuals began shooting at each other. A woman who was an innocent bystander was struck by gunfire and sustained non-life-threating injuries.
Teens previously charged with first-degree murder
Monroe had posted bond on June 14, 2025, less than two weeks before the Scotlandville homicide. His bond was set at $100,000, and he was under a court-ordered curfew from 8 p.m. to 8 a.m., only permitted to travel for court, school, or work.
His next court appearance is scheduled for July 16 before Judge Eboni Johnson Rose’s replacement on the criminal bench.
All three teens charged in connection with the 2024 Christmas parade shooting—Monroe, Treyvon Collins, and an unnamed 15-year-old—were also linked to a drive-by shooting on January 1, 2024, that killed 15-year-old Ramide Cosey, a freshman football player at Istrouma High School. Cosey died at the scene, and three other juveniles were taken to a local hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
The trio was arrested in February 2024 and charged with first-degree murder, four counts of attempted first-degree murder, and illegal use of weapons. However, a grand jury declined to indict them, and the case did not move forward. At the time, the suspects were 16 and 14 years old, and due to their juvenile status, their names were not publicly released.
The New Year’s Day shooting that claimed Cosey’s life played a significant role in shaping East Baton Rouge Mayor-President Sid Edwards’ crime-reduction priorities. Edwards, a former football coach at Istrouma High, publicly expressed frustration at a Rotary Club meeting in January.
“I get to read that the young man—one of the young men that was shooting on the levee—is the same young man that murdered my football player. Make that make sense to me. Now, I know there’s a process. I understand it, okay, but our criminal justice system is broke. We have a crime problem in the parish,” Edwards said.
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