NOPD
Wednesday, May 22, 2013
NOPD asks: Have you seen this pig statue?
Posted by Alex Woodward on Wed, May 22, 2013 at 11:53 AM
The manpighunt begins:
The New Orleans Police Department is asking for the public’s assistance in locating a stolen statue of a pig in a chef’s outfit. The statue was stolen on the morning of May 1, 2013 during Jazz Fest weekend.
Possible scenario: Swept up in the reverie of a musical weekend, the thieves stumbled upon their new pig friend and invited it to their Hawaiian shirt and straw fedora Bacchanalia. Or, a hooded Chik-Fil-A employee removed the statue as a message — the consequence of slogan copywright infringement. Or, the pig was a witness. To what? We may never know.
Anyone with information as to the location of the pig is asked to notify Detective Robert Stoltz, First District Investigations, 504-658-6012, rfstoltz@nola.gov, 911, or Crime Stoppers at 504-822-1111 or toll free at 1-877-903-7867.
Friday, May 17, 2013
NOPD makes another Mother's Day shooting arrest
Posted by Alex Woodward on Fri, May 17, 2013 at 3:13 PM
New Orleans Police Department officers arrested another suspect related to the Mother's Day second line shootings. This afternoon, Monique Pepe, 19, was charged with being an accessory to attempted second degree murder for allegedly hiding 24-year-old Shawn Scott, who was arrested along with his 19-year-old brother Akein Scott. Authorities identified the brothers as the shooters.
Pepe also was charged with possession of drug paraphernalia, possession of heroin, and possession of cocaine with intent to distribute, according to the Orleans Parish Sheriff's Office.
Pepe's arrest brings the number of arrests to seven in connection to the shootings. Yesterday morning, authorities also arrested Justin Alexander, 19, Brandy George, 28, Bionca Hickerson, 22, and Nekia Youngblood, 32, who allegedly helped hide Akein Scott. They all were charged with accessory after the fact to attempted second degree murder and obstruction of justice for harboring a fugitive.
Thursday, May 16, 2013
Akein Scott's brother and 4 others in custody for Mother's Day shootings
Posted by Alex Woodward on Thu, May 16, 2013 at 2:30 PM
- ALEX WOODWARD
- Mayor Mitch Landrieu announces the arrest of 6 people involved with the Mother's Day shooting.
Returning to the intersection of Frenchmen and North Villere streets, city officials and law enforcement announced the capture of second line shooting suspect Akein Scott as well as his brother, 24-year-old Shawn Scott, and four others.
New Orleans Police Department Superintendent Ronal Serpas confirmed Shawn Scott as the second shooting suspect. In 2007, Scott pleaded guilty in possession of cocaine and heroin and was sentenced to five years probation. In 2008, he pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute heroin and was to serve an eight year sentence. He was out on parole until December 2015. Like his brother Akein, Scott was charged this morning with 20 counts of second degree attempted murder. (A person was trampled by the crowd following the shooting and has been identified among the victims, hence the 20 counts of attempted second degree murder.)
"Shawn has a lengthy record and has demonstrated his contempt for New Orleans," Serpas said.
Serpas also announced Justin Alexander, 19, Brandy George, 28, Bionca Hickerson, 22, and Nekia Youngblood, 32, allegedly helped hide Akein Scott. They all have been charged with accessory after the fact to attempted second degree murder and obstruction of justice for harboring a fugitive.
Akein Scott in custody
Posted by Alex Woodward on Thu, May 16, 2013 at 10:15 AM
- ORLEANS PARISH SHERIFF'S OFFICE
- Akein Scott
Akein Scott, the 19-year-old suspect in the Mother's Day second line shootings, was arrested from a home in the Little Woods neighborhood in eastern New Orleans late last night. He appeared in Orleans Parish Magistrate Court this morning with bail set at $500,000 for each charge — Scott was booked with 20 counts of attempted second degree murder. His bail is set at $10 million.
Scott was scheduled to appear in court today on unrelated charges from an arrest in March, when he was allegedly found with a stolen gun and heroin. He was charged with possession of stolen firearms, possession of heroin and resisting an officer. He was released on bail last month, which Mayor Mitch Landrieu said "was a mistake." Landrieu has requested judges to set bail no lower than $30,000 on gun charges. "Unfortunately, some judges in this building have ignored that request," Landrieu said.
At around 3 a.m. Thursday, Scott was booked with 20 counts of attempted second degree murder.
New Orleans Police Department Superintendent Ronal Serpas said he believes Scott has ties to gang activity, and WWL-TV reports NOPD is searching for a possible second gunman.
A press conference with Landrieu, Serpas and other city officials is set for noon at the corner of N. Villere and Frenchmen streets, where the shooting occurred.
Wednesday, May 15, 2013
Original Big 7 will "re-do" Mother's Day second line
Posted by Alex Woodward on Wed, May 15, 2013 at 6:02 PM
Original Big 7 Social Aid & Pleasure Club organizers announced it will "re-do" its second line parade, interrupted by the shooting at its Mother's Day procession, at 1 p.m. on Saturday, June 1. It will follow the same route.
At Monday night's community rally on Frenchmen Street, Big 7 manager Dismas Johnson said the group had been in talks with Mayor Mitch Landrieu and the New Orleans Police Department to find an appropriate day to schedule the parade. "It's something that's got to go on," Johnson said.
The group announced it also is accepting donations at this fundraising website or by mail to 1823 Elysian Fields Ave., New Orleans, LA 70117.
The Original Big 7 Social Aid and Pleasure Club community is deeply saddened by the foolish violence that took place during our annual Mother’s Day’s Parade. Our hearts and prayers go out to all of the victims of this tragedy and their families. We are with them in the struggle for health, wellness, and justice.We are proud to announce that we will be doing a Re-Do Mother’s Day Parade On Saturday June 1, 2013 at 1pm on the same exact route. ... We are starting a donation fund for the Original Big 7 Social Aid and Pleasure Club to Re-Parade; the donations are to pay for the brass bands and for the victims affected by the violence that accorded on Mother’s Day.
Tuesday, May 14, 2013
The Mother's Day shootings: What constitutes an act of terror?
Posted by Kevin Allman on Tue, May 14, 2013 at 6:00 PM
On Sunday, hours after the Mother’s Day shooting in the Seventh Ward, FBI New Orleans spokeswoman Mary Beth Romig told the Associated Press the gunfire that injured 19 people was, as far as federal investigators knew, not an act of terrorism. “It’s strictly an act of street violence,” Romig said.
Today, on the WWL Eyewitness Morning News, Mayor Mitch Landrieu disagreed. Asked by Sally-Ann Roberts if he considered the shooting to be terrorism, Landrieu said, “I think so. I’ve talked about whether people are terrorized by activities. People use that term in a dramatic way, like it has to be somebody from outside threatening us on the inside. But the truth of the matter is, every day in neighborhoods across the city — this city and other cities — you have families that are afraid of going outside.”
So what defines an "act of terror" versus an act that causes a neighborhood or a city to live in terror?
Mother's Day shooting suspect had prior arrests
Posted by Alex Woodward on Tue, May 14, 2013 at 9:50 AM
A few hours following a community rally at the site of the Mother's Day second line shooting, New Orleans Police Department (NOPD) officials named Akein Scott, 19, as the suspect, seen in the surveillance footage.
This is not Scott's first brush with the law. In March, Scott was charged with possession of heroin, possession of stolen firearms and resisting an officer, according to Orleans Parish Criminal Court records. The charges were refused. He was released on bond April 29.
At a press conference yesterday afternoon, NOPD superintendent Ronal Serpas urged the suspect to turn himself in. "We know a lot more about you than you think we do," he said. "My recommendation is to collect yourself and turn yourself in to the nearest police facility, DA’s office or anywhere you may want."
Monday, May 13, 2013
Photos: Community rally gathers at site of second line shooting
Posted by Alex Woodward on Mon, May 13, 2013 at 10:33 PM
- ALEX WOODWARD
- Brother Al Mims Jr. brought this painting to the rally at the site of a second line shooting.
As sun set at the intersection of Frenchmen and North Villere streets, 200 people gathered at the site of yesterday's Original Big 7 Social Aid and Pleasure Club's annual Mother's Day second line, which ended prematurely as 19 people were injured in a shooting. Mayor Mitch Landrieu, members of New Orleans City Council, community leaders and others spoke into a microphone at the center of the intersection.
"Everybody on this street knows that what happened yesterday has nothing to do with the cultural beauty of New Orleans," Landrieu said. "It happened during a sacred event. ... We all came out here to reclaim this spot, and to say what happened yesterday does not reflect who the people of New Orleans are or what we're about."
Members of the Big 7 pledged that the second line will return, possibly next month. The organization's business manager Dismas Johnson told Gambit that organizers have met with the mayor's office and NOPD about picking a new time and location. "It's something that's got to go on," he said.
Speaking to the crowd, Big 7 member Edward Buckner echoed that pledge as he introduced Jason, an 11-year-old boy who attended yesterday's parade and ran from the shooting. "It sounded like a big ol' explosion," he said. "At least my family was safe. At least nobody got killed. I wanted to say, a solution is if you got a gun it means you're scared."
His mother Monique Foucher said Jason ran when he heard the shots. "He wasn't scared," she said. "We asked God to protect us and put a shield around us."
Officials update Mother's Day second line shooting
Posted by Alex Woodward on Mon, May 13, 2013 at 4:30 PM
- ALEX WOODWARD
- NOPD Chief Ronal Serpas discusses the Mother's Day second line shooting.
New Orleans Police Department (NOPD) and federal authorities gathered outside NOPD headquarters this afternoon to provide updates following the shooting at a second line yesterday that injured 19 people, three critically.
NOPD Superintendent Ronal Serpas said most of the wounds were "superficial, glancing wounds," though those that remain in critical condition faced "direct gunshot wounds."
"We have no ability to give you the condition of persons who went through surgery today, but we know they’re still receiving medical attention," Serpas said.
Investigators are still trying to determine whether there was more than one gunman at the scene, and if there was more than one weapon. "Ballistic evidence is giving us very good leads to work on," Serpas said.
5th District detectives Robert Hurst and Rayell Johnson "have worked virtually nonstop since yesterday afternoon," Serpas said, later adding, "I can assure whoever did this, we know a lot more about you than you think we do. My recommendation is to collect yourself and turn yourself into the nearest police facility, DA’s office or anywhere you may want." Serpas later added that NOPD has not ruled out that the shooting was motivated by gang activity.
Video: Mother's Day second line shooting
Posted by Alex Woodward on Mon, May 13, 2013 at 9:18 AM
The New Orleans Police Department released video from yesterday afternoon's shooting at a Mother's Day second line in the 7th Ward. The video surveillance footage below shows frames of the event that injured 19 people, including Gambit correspondent Deborah Cotton.
Call Crimestoppers at 504-822-1111 or 1-877-903-7867 or text to 274637 if you have any information. You also can leave an anonymous tip online. Crimestoppers has increased its reward to $5,000 for information leading to an arrest, and the federal Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms Bureau added another $5,000 to that reward.
Recent Comments
-
Re: Gambit announces partnership with Uptown Messenger and Mid-City Messenger
good move.
- on May 23, 2013
-
Re: The Green Project's Free Week starts today
Yeah, they did seem like a lot of work. Very unique and fun, though. Maybe…
- on May 23, 2013
-
Re: Gambit announces partnership with Uptown Messenger and Mid-City Messenger
Aw'Riot! Great news!
I'm gratified Kevin took my advise one night, not that he…- on May 23, 2013
-
Re: Stephanie Grace, Laura Maggi join The Advocate
Two more excellent reasons to get an Advocate New Orleans subscription.
-
on May 23, 2013
-
Re: A fresh, and refreshing, approach at Basin Seafood
This is another beautiful establishment with great service, delicious food and drink and a wonderful…
- on May 22, 2013
-
Re: NOPD asks: Have you seen this pig statue?
Oink! Oink! He might be looking for his 2 brothers........
- on May 22, 2013
-
Re: NOPD asks: Have you seen this pig statue?
It was probably those thieving trend mongers at Times-Picayune. PYOW! hehehe #pignapping
- on May 22, 2013
-
Re: NOPD asks: Have you seen this pig statue?
"Pigs seek pig."
- on May 22, 2013
-
Re: Stephanie Grace, Laura Maggi join The Advocate
We are in the middle of a revolution that is going to continue to have…
- on May 21, 2013
-
Re: The Green Project's Free Week starts today
HEY H STREET! I missed you! I wanna start PTT again, but it was such…
- on May 21, 2013
-
Re: The Green Project's Free Week starts today
Wait, you're back at Gambit? Does that mean we get more Public Transit Tuesdays?
- on May 21, 2013
-
Re: Sunday: Divine Ladies Second Line
The point? Wasteful as well as very bad use of tax payer money for truly…
- on May 19, 2013
- More »
