NEW ORLEANS (WGNO) — The New Orleans Police Department is investigating an early morning shooting that happened in the French Quarter on Saturday, June 22.
An NOPD spokesperson said the shooting was reported around 4:07 a.m. in the 600 block of Bourbon Street, which is near the intersection of Toulouse Street.
A man was shot in his body and taken to a hospital. He later died from his injuries, and the shooting was reclassified as a homicide.
Crime scene tape could still be seen following the shooting.
A source told WGNO the victim was an innocent bystander visiting from Florida.
“It’s really sad, just one bad apple can make everything bad,” said street performer Jospeh Rohley.
Rohley said he leaves the area before 8 p.m., as it starts to get dangerous. He is calling for more police patrols.
“If they paid more attention to what to look for and keeping us safe. Having more people on the blocks and watching surveillance would help tremendously. You call them and they won’t come for four or five hours,” said Rohley.
A tourist walking the streets said the news about the shooting has been floating around since he arrived in the French Quarter. He said he stays alert when in the city.
“You’ve got to look at your surroundings, always have to be aware of your surroundings, and protect yourself at all times,” said a tourist.
William Brown frequents the area regularly, and he’s seen a number of incidents occur. He said he believes the police are doing their best.
“The crime rate, it’s like you know is going up. I believe the police are trying to bring it down. I’ve seen the stop fights and all that,” said Brown.
Rohley added that criminals don’t fear repercussions because they don’t believe they’ll be caught. He said the public has to get tired of the violence for change to happen. He believes “someone always knows something.”
“We got the Superbowl coming this year, so that is going to be a big thing. We just got to fight this as a community and just fight this stuff we can’t take it no more,” said Rohley.
Anyone with information on the shooting can call NOPD Homicide Section detectives at 504-658-5300 or Crimestoppers of Greater New Orleans at 504-822-1111.
Stay up to date with the latest news, weather and sports by downloading the WGNO app on the Apple or Google Play stores and by subscribing to the WGNO newsletter.