NEW ORLEANS (WGNO) — During Wednesday’s Hurricane Ida media briefing, New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell briefly talked about the off-duty NOPD officer who was shot in the head while driving on Interstate 10 Tuesday night.
Mayor Cantrell reiterated NOPD Superintendent Shaun Ferguson’s previous report that the officer was in good spirits and in stable condition at University Medical Center after sustaining a deep graze-wound to his head.
“He’s doing well,” said Cantrell. “Went to visit him last night. [He was] smiling, laughing. He said ‘Hey, I’m gonna stay put because I’ve got [air conditioning] in the hospital and I know don’t have it at home.’
“But not making light at all,” continued Cantrell shifting her tone. “Not making light at all about what happened to our officer.”
Cantrell says the city will continue to monitor the officer’s progress and stay in close communication and contact with his family. She also thanked everyone for the well-wishes and re-iterated Ferguson’s belief that the officer was shot in a targeted attempt.
“I do want to thank all of our residents, all of our officers, all that showed love immediately once we understood what happened to our officer,” said Cantrell. “He is in stable condition and we are praying for a full recovery.
“We have no reason at all to believe our officer was targeted as he was in an unmarked vehicle,” she added. “No reason at all.”