New Orleans leaders ask for public’s help as city suffers uptick in violent crime

NEW ORLEANS, La. (WVUE) - On Thursday, the New Orleans Police Department will release new information about the string of recent murders and shootings across the city. This comes after at least three more people were shot overnight in separate shootings.

The NOPD says both shootings happened in New Orleans East overnight, one in the 12300 block of the South I-10 Service Road and the second in the 13500 block of Granville Street.

One week ago, a woman was also killed after being shot multiple times at an apartment complex along the North I-10 Service Road in New Orleans East.

“We cannot do this alone. This is what I said last week and we should not as a community accept this as a norm. We lost a child of this city and we need to come together and hold the individual or individuals accountable for their actions.” NOPD Superintendent Shaun Ferguson said.

Many residents are still demanding answers after a 9-year-old boy was shot and killed last week in the Seventh Ward. A 15-year-old girl was also hit in the stomach and a 13-year-old boy was shot in the leg while Devante Bryant was shot in the head and killed.

“We need the community to step up and we know that you have the information of who the shooter or shooters were , we know that, come forth and do the right thing and that will protect our entire community and innocent bystanders who could be in the way,” Mayor LaToya Cantrell said.

Crimestoppers is offering $10,000 for money leading to the arrest of anyone connected to the case. Bryant’s mother, Donna Howard, was arrested in a case involving another one of her sons who was involved in a shooting. She was arrested for cruelty to a juvenile for not taking her oldest son to the hospital.

Ferguson says the “senseless violence” has been escalating for the last month and it’s time for that to stop.

Family members of Bryant are convinced someone in the neighborhood has evidence to share with authorities.

“We all torn up because this shouldn’t have happened. He’s nine. What could he do to you at nine? He’s nine. He’ll never get a chance to go to high school. He’ll never get a chance to grow up because somebody took his life,” says Bryant’s grandmother Monica Walker.

Cantrell said children are involved in some of these crimes and parents play a role in nurturing the development of the their children. She said the city will hold parents responsible if their children commit crime.

“It is time in our community for parents to be accountable when they need to be,” she said.

Ferguson echoed what the mayor said.

“We need you to come forward to help us and heal the community.”