A suspect in the gang-related shooting death of a student near the campus of Texas Southern University has been arrested and charged with his murder. Following the fourth shooting in recent months, the university has taken additional security precautions to prevent further violence.
Following a short standoff just before midnight Friday night, Houston police arrested 22-year-old Jartis Leon LeBlanc. The suspect barricaded himself inside a home but soon surrendered, according to the Houston Chronicle. LeBlanc has now been charged with killing TSU freshman student Brent Randall.
Randall was killed on October 9 outside a student apartment complex on the edge of the TSU campus, Breitbart Texas previously reported. A second student was shot during the same incident. That student was treated and released from the hospital on the same day.
LeBlanc has been charged with murder and aggravated assault with serious bodily injury in connection with the two shootings, according to court records obtained by Breitbart Texas. LeBlanc has a prior criminal record that includes charges of theft and possession of marijuana. He was out of jail on a personal recognizance bond for the theft charge at the time of the shooting. That bond has since been revoked. The two new felony charges will be heard in the 179th Criminal District Court by Judge Kristin Guiney.
The criminal complaint, attached below, reveals the shooting was reported to be gang-related and was allegedly in retaliation for a shooting the night before. That second shooting occurred at the same student apartment complex. That shooting was said to have been tied to a basketball game where money had been bet. A student was shot in the leg in that incident.
Witnesses said a group conspired to retaliate for the shooting. LeBlanc was identified by multiple witnesses, according to the criminal complaint. The complaint states he was also seen on a surveillance video tape holding the gun used in the murder and assault.
Bond has been set in this case for $50,000. A second bond of $50,000 was set in the assault charge and a $10,000 bond was set on the misdemeanor theft charge.
This was the fourth shooting on or near the campus of TSU since this school year began. In an attempt to reduce student’s fears and increase security, the university has instituted new curfews in the dorms, the Chronicle reported. Additionally, new patrol shifts by campus police have been introduced and an outside security company has been contract to provide enhanced security. The university has instituted a mandatory sign-in and sign-out police for in campus housing. Other steps have also been installed.
Police tied LeBlanc to the shooting via one of his social media pages and the video surveillance tape. Officers compared those images to LeBlanc’s mugshot photo from the alleged theft earlier this year, court records revealed.
Police continue to search for a suspect in the October 8 TSU shooting. That suspect has been identified as Cameron Crowe, 18. TSU spokesman Rodney Bush told the Chronicle that the university police are seeking a warrant for aggravates assault with a deadly weapon. That shooting erupted following the basketball game that was won by Randall and his roommates. A shooting broke out sending one person to the hospital for a leg injury.
Bob Price serves as associate editor and senior political news contributor for Breitbart Texas and is a member of the original Breitbart Texas team. Follow him on Twitter @BobPriceBBTX.
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