Police Hunt Three Killers After LSU Home Invasion

[phatkatt]

Source: WDSU New Orlean

Police hunted three killers on the LSU campus Friday morning. Two Ph.D. students were killed at Louisiana State University late Thursday evening.

-snip-

LSU Media Relations representative Kristine Calongne called the killings a "home invasion."

Zewe said Komma was bound with a computer cable and shot. He said Allam was found near the door.

Read more: http://www.wdsu.com/news/14853139/detail.html

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The students were from India. Hate Crime?

[pitohui]

1. doubt it, i think it's probably a gang/armed robbery deal

there are a LOT of these home invasions happening now, in new orleans, the vietnamese and latin american illegal immigrants have been targeted, because there is a perception that they have cash

i'm not familiar w. lsu housing, however, on nola.com people are saying that edward gay housing 1) doesn't allow the students to own guns, and 2) is near an area where there have been armed robberies

if the students were targeted, it could be that they were picked because 1) it was known they wouldn't have guns in the home, and 2) it is possible the gang members believed that as foreign students they had more cash than a local (local college kids would have credit cards)

right now it is all speculation though

i hope the killers are found quickly

a terrible waste of two promising lives

there was also a bold mid-day bank robbery and shoot-out in new orleans yesterday in a nice area (riverbend) plus two bodies found riddled with bullets and dumped on the 1-12

the violent crime here is simply beyond belief and it appears to be gang/drug related rather than hate crime related, some minorities are indeed being singled out but the reason is because they are believed to be in cash industries not to make a statement

[phatkatt]

4. Maybe, but this was Baton Rouge, not New Orleans

It could happen in Baton Rouge as well, but this was on-campus housing. I'm not familiar with the level of campus security, but it seems the added risk would make a random invasion unlikely. Maybe these guys were into some bad stuff and knew their attackers, but one of them had a pregnant wife.

[blitzen]

9. It's not exactly on-campus....It's owned by LSU, but pretty much in the 'hood....

It's the low rent place for married and international grad students....Pretty much a disgrace, and has been rumored to be scheduled for demolition. LSU is pretty safe overall, and Baton Rouge is an up-and-coming city, but this area north of campus is really crime-ridden.

[T Wolf]

2. Took a look at the FreakShow (freepers) comments on these murders. Only one out of many

expressed any sympathy for the victims.

Many speculated on the ethnicity of the students, based on their names. The racism was palatable in their comments.

Anyone who doubts who the real enemy is should just visit there every once in a while.

[pitohui]

3. i don't know what freakshow is but people around here are sympathetic to the students

international students are key to solid Ph.D programs

plus the fear being struck into everyone because these home invasions are coming more and more often -- before this, i thought students in student housing would be in a category unlikely to be impacted by this kind of violence

this is just not good publicity at all for lsu or for louisiana, and i think you'd have to be crazy to want to drive away nice kids who are chasing a doctorate in biochemistry and bringing $$$ to do this from outside the country

[Occulus]

5. palpable

But I can see how racism over there could be so thick you could eat it with a fork.

:D

[KamaAina]

6. These same goobers were no doubt thrilled when a man of Indian descent was elected governor

'cause, see, he's a fetus-lovin' repuke. Even when it comes to race, it would seem, "IOKIYAR".

[SacredCow]

7. there's a lot on the news about violent crime in New Orleans...

but not so much about the crime in Baton Rouge. Considering how many more people are here now, post-Katrina, it's not AS bad as I would have expected- but it's still bad. There was a string of daytime armed robberies of fast-food joints along one of the busiest highways- one of my good friends was in one of them when it happened.

The married/graduate student housing that the article refers to butts up against a not-so-safe area of Baton Rouge. It's actually a little better than when I was a student 15 years ago, but I still wouldn't want to live there. So a robbery gone horribly awry wouldn't really surprise me. But, neither would a hate crime because of their heritage.

[NOLALady]

8. I doubt that it was random.

According to the last report that I heard, they were both shot in the head. Sounds like a targeted execution.
A hate crime would not surprise me in this neck of the woods.