Category: News

2 people shot near Bourbon, Toulouse streets UPDATED

All photos by Eric T. Styles

Two people sustained gunshot wounds Saturday morning near the intersection of Bourbon and Toulouse streets, according to New Orleans Police.

Police said the shooting was reported shortly after 6 a.m. following argument between a man and a woman. Witnesses told The Quarter Rat that the two were arguing outside near a Toulouse Street bar when another woman walked up to the man and shot him in the chest at close range.

The gunfire injured a third woman, who was shot in the leg, police said.

Update 10/8/23, 1:29 p.m. EST: NOPD officials said they’ve arrested 30-year-old Shawnnika Smith Saturday evening in connection with the shooting.

Through an investigation, the NOPD identified Smith and issued a warrant for her arrest. Officials said she was located and arrested with the help of the NOPD’s Special Operations Division and was in possession of a 9 millimeter pistol. Police did not immediately say where Smith was arrested.

Smith was booked into the Orleans Parish Justice Center on suspicion of attempted second degree murder, two counts of aggravated second degree battery, aggravated assault with a firearm and illegal discharge of a firearm, NOPD said, adding that she is presumed innocent until found guilty.

Eric. T. Styles, The Quarter Rat’s art director, said he was inside of his Toulouse Street apartment when he heard a rapid burst of gunfire but initially believed the shots echoed from elsewhere within the French Quarter.

It wasn’t until about an hour later when Styles stepped out of his apartment and saw fire personnel hosing off the street when he learned people were shot half a block away from where he lives.

Emergency personnel transported to the shooting victims to a local hospital, although their conditions weren’t immediately known as of Saturday evening.

The shooting is under investigation, NOPD said.

Anyone with additional information about the incident is asked to contact NOPD’s Eighth District detectives at 504-658-6080. Anonymous callers can contact Crimestoppers at 504-822-1111.

Gunfire injures 66-year-old woman on Canal Street UPDATED

A 66-year-old woman sustained a gunshot wound following an argument on Canal Street Sunday morning, according to New Orleans Police.

NOPD officials said the incident occurred at about 10:32 a.m. in the 700 block of Canal Street.

Two unknown Black males were arguing outside where the incident occurred when one suspect produced a gun and fired a shot, hitting the victim once, police said.

The woman was transported to a local hospital, where she was listed in stable condition, according to the NOPD. Neither the victim, nor the suspect were identified by police.

Update 10/8/23: Nola.com reported that New Orleans Police on Thursday arrested 26-year-old Darron Blue in connection to the shooting. Blue was booked into Orleans Parish Justice Center on suspicion of one count each of negligent injury and possession of a firearm by a felon.

Suspect in Bourbon Street attempted robbery sought by police, NOPD says

Picture courtesy of the NOPD.

New Orleans Police on Monday have asked for the public’s help with identifying a person who they say is the suspect in a Bourbon Street attempted armed robbery that occurred last February.

The incident occurred on Feb. 10 at about 3:13 a.m. in the 1300 block of Bourbon Street, where two victims reported being held at gunpoint, according to the NOPD.

Police investigators said that one victim struck the suspect and began struggling for control of the firearm. A good Samaritan intervened and the victim managed to take the gun from the suspect, who fled the scene on foot, the NOPD said.

Through an investigation, NOPD detectives positively identified the alleged suspect as the perpetrator in the incident and released pictures of the person on Monday.

Anyone with information about the alleged suspect or this incident is asked to contact NOPD Eighth District detectives at 504-658-6080. Anonymous callers can contact Crimestoppers at 504-822-1111 or toll-free at 1-877-903-7867.

La. Supreme Court improperly paid $51K to judge compensation fund, audit report says

Photo by Jeffrey Hayes | CC Flickr

A legislative audit report released last month said that the Louisiana Supreme Court wasn’t complying with the law when it used money meant for general operations to pay for administrative expenses for the Judges’ Supplemental Compensation Fund.

In the report released on Sept. 20, Louisiana Legislative Auditor Michael Waguespack said the court’s judicial administrator incurred $51,000 of expenses that were paid out of the general fund instead of the JSCF fund during the 2023 fiscal year.

Louisiana law requires that the JSCF pay for its own administrative expenses, according to the auditor’s report.

“The judicial administrator did not ensure that costs incurred for administering the JSCF were reimbursed from the JSCF,” the report stated. “This occurred because the JSCF Board believes that it is acceptable to fund the administrative costs with general fund appropriations rather than from the JSCF.”

Clerks are required by law to collect the nonrefundable fees from civil filings in each city, parish, juvenile, family, district, appellate and supreme court in Louisiana on a monthly basis and make them payable to the state treasurer, which deposits the money into the JSCF fund. The Supreme Court’s judicial administrator is responsible for distributing the JSCF funds, the audit report says.

Money in the JSCF fund “shall be used solely and exclusively for salary supplements to judges and commissioners, for related costs of state or municipal retirement funds, and for necessary and associated administrative expense,” according to the report.

The report states that once provisions are made for administrative expenses, the JSCF Board “shall authorize” the court’s judicial administrator to distribute the fund’s proceeds for monthly “supplemental compensation to the judges and commissioners, and for the associated retirement contributions.”

But the report stated that the JSCF Board didn’t make sure its administrative expenses were covered before authorizing the judicial administrator “to distribute the remaining proceeds of the JSCF in accordance with state law.”

The auditor recommended that the judicial administrator and/or the JSCF Board seek clarification from the legislature on the intent of the law regarding payment of the JSCF’s administrative expenses.

Until that happens, the report stated that the JSCF Board should reimburse the judicial administrator and should make sure money is available to pay its administrative expenses before retirement contributions and monthly supplemental compensation to judges and commissioners are made.

The report also found that instead of being remitted to the state treasure, court clerks were sending fees from the civil filings and sending them directly to the Supreme Court’s judicial administrator, which was against the law.

Even though the state treasurer notified the JSCF Board that the judicial administrator agreed to receive the civil filing fees from each court directly in 1988, and despite a memorandum of understanding that formalized this practice 30 years later in 2018, the report said the legislature still hadn’t passed a law to make it legal.

“The judicial administrator and/or the JSCF Board should seek legislative changes to this statute to align it with the current practice of the clerks of court remitting the civil fees to the judicial administrator instead of to the state treasurer as currently required,” the report said.

A response from management indicated “non-concurrence with the finding” that the court wasn’t complying with the law, although the judicial administrator said it would provide information to lawmakers who want to change the procedures described in the statute, according to the report.

Additionally, the report found weaknesses in procedures controlling the cash used to reimburse judges for travel expenses.

The report said court personnel weren’t following general administrative rules, resulting $1,828 being overpaid to two judges for lodging reimbursements.

One judge was erroneously reimbursed more than the maximum daily rate for attending the Louisiana Judicial College/Louisiana State Bar Association Joint Summer School and Annual meeting, while a second judge was mistakenly reimbursed for an additional day of lodging expense.

The court’s internal controls didn’t detect the overpayments, which occurred because of errors made by personnel when the reimbursement requests were processed, the audit report said.

“The court recovered the overpayments after we notified them of the errors,” the report stated.

To read the full report, visit lla.state.la.us.

2 sought in French Quarter business burglaries, NOPD says

From right to left: Donald Delaune and an unidentified white male. | Courtesy of the NOPD.

Two men suspected of burglarizing French Quarter businesses over the past two months are being sought by police, who are now seeking help from the public in locating the individuals, according to New Orleans officials on Monday.

New Orleans Police are seeking help locating 30-year-old Donald Delaune, who detectives identified as the perpetrator following an investigation into the alleged burglaries that occurred in August and September. The burglaries occurred in the 600 block of Pirate’s Alley, the 1100 block of Chartres Street and in the 400 block of Andrew Higgins Drive, according to the NOPD.

Officials said Delaune was seen with an unidentified White male in surveillance video footage, which was also provided by police on Monday.

Anyone with information as to the whereabouts of Delaune or the identity of the pictured white male, is asked to contact the NOPD’s Eighth District at 504-658-6080. Additionally, callers can contact Crimestoppers anonymously at 504-822-1111, or toll-free at 1-877-903-7867.