In the quiet community of Laplace, Louisiana, the life of 19-year-old Yasmine Haitham Halum was tragically cut short on Sunday, October 9, 2022. A recent graduate of East St. John High School, Yasmine was known for her entrepreneurial spirit, having started her own T-shirt business called “OTR,” which stood for “Only the Real.” She was an active young woman who had participated in recreational soccer, basketball, and track.
On that fateful afternoon, at approximately 3 p.m., the
sound of gunshots echoed in the 1400 block of Van Arpel Drive. Yasmine had just returned home from church with her grandmother when the shooting occurred. Authorities were dispatched to the scene and discovered Yasmine unresponsive in the driveway of a residence. She had sustained a gunshot wound to her chest. Despite being rushed to a local hospital, she was pronounced dead shortly after her arrival. The motive for the shooting was not immediately known, leaving her family and the community in a state of shock and grief.
The St. John the Baptist Parish Sheriff's Office launched an investigation into the homicide, which led to the arrests of two teenagers. On October 17, 2022, a 15-year-old male from Laplace was taken into custody and charged with second-degree murder in connection with Yasmine's death. He was booked at the Sherman Walker Correctional Facility. Further investigation resulted in the arrest of a 16-year-old male, who was charged with obstruction of justice for allegedly helping to remove evidence related to the homicide. The arrests brought a small measure of solace to a community mourning the loss of a bright and ambitious young woman.
