Police investigate two separate deadly shootings that happened less than an hour apart, with one suspect in custody and another person possibly connected to one of the crimes still at large.
The first shooting happened on Chef Menteur Highway near Louisa Street, while the second was near West Lake Forest around 3 p.m.
Investigators say officers working near a Walmart in Gentilly were alerted to a man lying on the ground across the street around 2 p.m.
“They walked over and saw the victim suffering from gunshot wounds,” New Orleans Police Deputy Superintendent Nicholas Gernon said. “They called EMS. EMS came out and transported the victim to the hospital, an adult male, where he was pronounced deceased at the hospital.”
Gernon said the man was likely shot just before police arrived. Shortly after, state police saw a car speeding away from the area. When they tried to catch up to it, Gernon said the car drove off the road and into a lawn. Two people jumped out of the car. One was quickly taken into police custody for questioning. The other person in the car has not been found.
A spokesperson for the New Orleans Police Department told WDSU as of Thursday night that it is not confirmed whether the two people in that car had anything to do with the killing.
City Councilman Eugene Green, who represents the district where the Gentilly shooting occurred, came to the scene of the crime Thursday evening. WDSU asked him how he plans to help prevent gun violence in his part of town.
“The bottom line is that we can’t be everywhere at every time,” Green said. “The city of New Orleans has violence prevention aspects within the health department. I encourage anyone who is having an issue that they feel requires them to resort to violence to know that there are alternatives.”
Despite these recent incidents, New Orleans police report a decline in murders this summer. From May through August, the city recorded 22 murders, nearly half the number seen during the same period last year and in 2024.
Over the past seven years, 2022 saw the highest number of summer murders, with 100 killings.
READ MORE:Police investigate two deadly shootings in New Orleans, one suspect in custody
