KENNER, La. (WGNO) — A Kenner man has been found guilty of an armed robbery that led to the 2020 death of a convenience store clerk on Wednesday, July 26.
The Office of Jefferson Parish District Attorney Paul D. Connick announced that 30-year-old Lamonte Loggins was found guilty in the shooting death of 30-year-old Abd El Ghader Sylla.
A recount of the incident from Sylla’s wife revealed he was working an overnight shift on November 30, 2020, at a business located at Williams Boulevard and West Esplanade Avenue when the crime happened.
Court documents state that 30-year-old Lamonte Loggins and his older brother, 32-year-old Eric Rodgers, who reportedly planned the robbery, entered the business at 2 a.m. wearing masks due to COVID-19 protocol.
Loggins held a conversation with Sylla before pulling out a 9mm pistol and demanding cash. During the robbery, a latex glove fell from his pocket, which was taken as evidence in the case.
Complying with Loggins, court documents state, Sylla “was on his knees with his hands over his head and had opened both the cash register and cash drawer to access the money.” That’s when Loggins began to “beat Sylla in the head with the pistol”.
Sylla fell, and that’s when Loggins shot him in the chest.
According to the Kenner Police Department, Sylla was heard on the 911 call saying “I got shot. I got robbed, and I got shot” and that he was “about to die.”
With the help of surveillance footage from homes and businesses, detectives tracked the brothers’ movements from the crime scene to their Lori Drive apartment.
The two reportedly spent the night in Mississippi, where they discarded the weapon in Biloxi, before catching a bus to Memphis, Tennessee, where Loggins was arrested on December 8, 2020.
On September 28, 2022, Rogers plead guilty to manslaughter, obstruction of justice, and armed robbery. He received a 40-year sentence.
During testimonies, Rogers said he had participated in the robbery “because his government unemployment assistance hadn’t been credited to his debit card” but says he did not know Loggins was going to shoot Sylla, although Rogers was accused of urging the shooting.
Attorneys in the case stated that it was not proven beyond reasonable doubt that the gunshot killed Sylla and that it was possibly his medical treatment that caused his death.
After an hour-long deliberation, the jury found Loggins guilty of first-degree murder and guilty as charged with obstruction of justice for tossing both the gun and bullets.
Sentencing for Loggins is set for August 9.
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