African American female Lanija Cooper, age 20, lost her life in a tragic double homicide that also claimed the life of her younger brother in St. Louis County, Missouri. On the morning of Sunday, May 5, 2024, the quiet residential atmosphere of the 10700 block of Wurdack Avenue was shattered by gunfire. Lanija was at the home she shared with her family when her former boyfriend, 19-year-old Lamarr Harris, arrived at the residence.
Harris had traveled to the location using a rideshare service, reportedly driven by anger over a belief that Lanija had slashed the tires of his current girlfriend's vehicle the previous evening.
Upon his arrival, a confrontation ensued outside the home. The dispute quickly escalated when Lanija's 19-year-old brother, Marc Rhodes Jr., intervened to protect his sister. Reports indicate that Rhodes punched Harris in the face during the argument. In response to the physical altercation, Harris allegedly produced a. 40 caliber firearm and opened fire. He shot Rhodes, who collapsed near the residence, and then turned the weapon on Lanija. Authorities later discovered her body a short distance away from her brother, suggesting she may have attempted to flee the immediate violence before being struck. Both siblings sustained fatal injuries and were pronounced dead at the scene by responding emergency personnel.
In the chaotic moments following the shooting, Harris attempted to escape the area by re-entering the rideshare vehicle that had brought him there. However, St. Louis County police officers, who were already responding to the area, noticed the suspicious activity and quickly intercepted the vehicle. Harris was taken into custody without further incident, and a firearm believed to be used in the shooting was recovered.
Following the investigation, prosecutors charged Lamarr Harris with second-degree murder and armed criminal action in connection with the death of Marc Rhodes Jr. At the time of the initial reports, charges regarding Lanija Cooper's death were taken under advisement by the St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office, pending further review, though police identified him as the sole suspect responsible for both killings. Harris was ordered held on a $750,000 cash-only bond as the community and the victims' family were left to mourn the sudden loss of two young lives.
