On Wednesday evening, New Orleans Police Department Seventh District detectives apprehended a suspect in connection with a fatal shooting that transpired earlier that night. Eric Christopher Gentris, a 35-year-old black male, was nabbed following a vehicle chase and is now facing a second-degree murder charge.
The authorities were called to the 6200 block of Bridgehampton Drive around 7:15 p.m. after receiving reports of an aggravated battery by shooting. Upon their arrival, they discovered an unresponsive adult female victim, who had sustained a gunshot wound and was pronounced dead at the scene by the Emergency Medical Services. New Orleans Police Department quickly managed to positively identify Gentris as a suspect, and during a subsequent vehicle pursuit, were able to quickly apprehend him in Scott, La., after coordinating with multiple assisting agencies.
According to the official New Orleans Police Department news release, Gentris was found armed and with his four-year-old daughter at the time of his arrest. The child was fortunately unharmed and was safely rescued. The New Orleans Police Department expressed gratitude to all assisting law enforcement agencies for their "outstanding coordination and rapid response" in resolving the incident swiftly.
Gentris was initially booked into Lafayette Parish Sheriff’s Office as a fugitive. Upon his extradition to Orleans Parish, he is set to be booked at the Orleans Parish Justice Center. Meanwhile, the Orleans Parish Coroner’s Office will assume responsibility to officially identify the homicide victim and ascertain the exact cause of death, after which they will notify the next of kin.
The New Orleans Police Department has also issued a call to the public for anyone with additional information about the incident to reach out to New Orleans Police Department Homicide Section Det. Tanisha Sykes-Smith at 504-658-5300. The investigation into this case is ongoing, and community assistance is highly valuable in these efforts to completely understand the events that led to this tragic occurrence.
