15 Shot, 2 Dead in N.O. Halloween Shootings
WWLTV, November 1, 2011
Revelry turned into horror during New Orleans Halloween celebrations when gunfire erupted at four scenes leaving 15 people shot, two of whom died.
The first incident occurred just after midnight in the 400 block of Bourbon Street near the iconic Chris Owens nightclub when police believe two men began firing at one another, striking a total of eight people during the exchange.
As horrified people began running for cover, others in the massive crowd, oblivious to what was going on, surged to try to continue their party.
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Shortly before 2 a.m., police were also responding to another shooting near Canal and Burgundy streets where two men and two women were shot–one person in that group was killed as well.
Police arrested Baltiman Malcom, 24, moments after a fatal shooting that left a 19-year-old Joshua Lewis dead and 3 others injured, according to police.
“After a foot pursuit, Malcom and another suspect was detained. The third suspect managed to escape. Officers located a gun on the scene. Apparently an argument took place at which time the man was shot several times and died at the hospital,” said a statement from the NOPD.
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Around 4 a.m., a third incident later left another person wounded near North Prieur and Spain streets.
Around 5:30 a.m., in a fourth shooting, two people were shot in the 1200 block of Louisa Street, near St. Claude Avenue.
In the wake of a bloody early morning of celebrating marred by violence, Mayor Mitch Landrieu said the city is using all crime-fighting tools at its disposal to try to stem the violence.
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“Young African-American males being killed by young African-American males is a tragedy,” he said.
Both Landrieu and Police Chief Ronal Serpas said most of the shootings early Tuesday morning came as police officers were within a few hundred feet of the area.
