Two 19-year-olds shot and killed at party morning after Christmas, New Orleans cops say
Two 19-year-olds were shot and killed at a party in New Orleans on the morning after Christmas, police said.
Officers responded to shooting at a “large party” in city’s Lower 9th Ward just after 12:30 a.m. on Dec. 26, New Orleans Police Capt. Gwen Nolan said during a news briefing broadcast by WWLTV.
A man and a woman, both 19 years old, were pronounced dead on scene, according to a news release from the police department. First responders brought two 18-year-old men to a hospital. A 17-year-old girl and an 18-year-old woman went to a local hospital in private vehicles, the release says.
The victims have not been publicly named and will be identified by the Orleans Parish Coroner, Nolan said.
Investigators are seeking to identify the shooter or shooters, Nolan said.
Darlene Cusanza, president and CEO of Crimestoppers of Greater New Orleans, said the organization was offering a $5,000 reward to anyone who comes forward with information that helps lead to an arrest.
“If you’re at a party, everybody’s got a cellphone out, we’re taking all these social media pics,” she said . “Well, guess what? It takes you a few seconds to send those to Crimestoppers, and it’s done anonymously.”
Rev. Willie Calhoun, a Baptist minister in New Orleans, also asked for community members to get involved in helping solve the crime.
“Those bullets don’t have eyes,” he said. “... If we’re going to do something, it’s going to take the community as a whole to get it done.”
Higher homicide rates in New Orleans
Homicide rates in New Orleans increased in 2022, according to the Metropolitan Crime Commission. There were 265 homicides in the city as of Dec. 18 - around 128% more than the same time period in 2019 and a 31% increase over the same time period in 2021. The city hasn’t recorded this many homicides during the same time period since 2003, when 274 were recorded, according to the commission.
Nonfatal shootings as of Dec. 18 were up 88% over the same time period in 2019, but down 3% compared with the same time period last year, according to the commission.
Those with information about the Dec. 26 shooting can contact the New Orleans Police Department Homicide Division at (504) 658-5300, Crimestoppers at (504) 822-1111 or on a toll-free line at 1-877-903-7867, according to police.
This story was originally published December 26, 2022 at 5:31 PM with the headline "Two 19-year-olds shot and killed at party morning after Christmas, New Orleans cops say."