Convicted felon charged with attempted murder in altercation

A Plaquemine man remains in custody on two charges of attempted murder following an altercation several hours after a Mardi Gras parade.

Thomas C. Johnson, 35, was booked on two counts of attempted second degree murder after he allegedly fired shots at a man on Mulberry Street, according to Plaquemine Police Chief Robbie Johnson.

Another man was grazed across the head with a bullet and taken to a Baton Rouge hospital and released the same evening. His wounds required staples to the head, the police chief said.

Thomas Johnson was arrested four days after the shooting. He was on parole for a manslaughter conviction, the police chief said.

The shooting had no connection to the Krewe of Royalty Parade, which rolled smoothly through the area earlier that day, Chief Johnson said.

“The parade was long over by then,” he said. “People were just gathering in their yards having additional functions.”

District Court Judge Elizabeth Engolio set bond at $750,000 for the charge of attempted murder, and $250,000 for a charge of possession/carrying of a concealed weapon by a convicted felon.