A newly released body-camera video from the New Orleans Police Department shows an officer firing two shots toward a dog while a woman and a small child were just a few steps away on Morrison Road, turning a March 5 call into a scene now under internal review. The footage, made public on March 20, captures the tense moments on the 8900 block of Morrison Road as an officer gives rapid-fire commands before pulling the trigger. Police say no one was hurt, as reported by WWL-TV.
In the video, Officer Vincent Lewis, identified by the department, can be heard calling out, "Everybody good?" and telling a woman to "move or get back" just before he fires two rounds toward an area where she and a small child are standing, according to WWL-TV. The dog is never clearly seen being struck in the recording, and officers reported no injuries at the scene. Police also told the station there was no structural damage to the home.
Timeline And Department Response
According to WWL-TV, NOPD says Lewis had been dispatched around 9:45 p.m. on March 5 to check on a runaway teenager believed to be staying at the residence.
The department told the station that "the matter remains under investigation" and reiterated that no one was hurt and the house itself was not damaged. As part of that inquiry, investigators will review the body-worn camera footage frame by frame to determine whether department policies were followed.
Safety Concerns And Oversight
The most unsettling part of the clip is the context: shots fired while a child is nearby. That detail raises immediate safety and accountability questions for residents and police watchdogs alike.
Any time a firearm is discharged close to bystanders, it complicates the review that follows. Even with no reported injuries and no visible damage to the home, the proximity of the woman and child to the line of fire is likely to be a central issue in any administrative findings.
What To Watch Next
For now, the incident sits in the internal review process, with NOPD stating only that the matter is under investigation. The next key developments will be whether the department releases formal findings, and whether prosecutors or any civilian oversight bodies decide to take a closer look.
We will update this story if NOPD provides additional information or if prosecutors or oversight agencies announce further action.
