NEW ORLEANS (WGNO) – The murder of a teenager outside an illegal short-term rental property is getting the attention of city leaders.
Three people were shot early Saturday morning on Bartholomew Street near its intersection with St. Claude Avenue.
New Orleans police officers arrived on the scene shortly after 1 a.m. and discovered 16-year-old Jakai Quinn, suffering from fatal injuries, a wounded fifteen-year-old girl, who was taken to the hospital, and learned someone took a wounded 17-year-old boy to the hospital.
Kip McConville, who lives along Bartholomew Street, recalls arriving home early Saturday morning with some friends to discover several teens, who were occupying the short-term rental across the street, running for their lives.
“Well, then [my friend] said he saw somebody with a gun, so I was like, ‘Okay, we’re getting out of here,’ and then I also saw a second person with a gun, it was a shorter person and a tall person who each had guns,” McConville explained. “Then, as I pulled out from the spot, we heard a whole series of shots.”
By Saturday, the city’s Department of Safety and Permits taped a violation notice to the door, which stated the operator of the short-term rental didn’t have a permit.
Just last month, the city council passed new regulations for STRs in the city.
“A short-term rental like this checks all the boxes that we’re trying to get rid of,” New Orleans City Councilman Freddie King said. “It’s unpermitted, and that creates an environment of chaos, especially dealing with teenagers.”
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A nearby commercial STR operator says crimes like this, affect operators who are compliant.
“Anytime that you have these kinds of problems, residential or commercial, it hinders the business,” commercial STR operator Frank Mohre said. “You know, something needs to be done. Come on, we have a fantastic city here, the City of New Orleans. Let’s clean it up.”
King says his office is working with multiple agencies to remove permits from non-compliant operators and shut off the property’s electricity and water.
“I think that sends a strong message to those illegal operators, it hits them in the pockets, it hits them where it hurts, it affects their bottom dollar, and I think once we start doing that, then we’ll really see some people coming into compliance as far as short-term rentals go,” King said.
So far, no arrests have been made in the shooting.
If you have any information about this crime, call NOPD Homicide Detective Robert Long at 504-658-5300 or Crimestoppers of Greater New Orleans at 504-822-1111 or toll-free at 1-877-903-STOP.
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