A 23-year-old man is facing a stack of criminal charges after police say a handgun in his waistband accidentally discharged during dinner at a Kenner restaurant, striking his 30-year-old dining companion in the inner right thigh and sending the suspect fleeing in a pickup truck without calling for help. Gabriel Quinto Andino was booked with negligent injuring, illegal use of a weapon, and several additional counts following the shooting at Chilangos restaurant on the 3600 block of Williams Boulevard.
Shooting Unfolds Mid-Meal at Kenner Seafood Spot
According to NOLA.com, Andino was dining with the 30-year-old acquaintance when he appeared to pat or adjust the handgun tucked in his waistband. Police say the gun fired accidentally, striking the man he was eating with. The victim is expected to survive the injury, per the same report. WWNO reported that David Montes opened a brick-and-mortar Taqueria Chilangos on Roosevelt Boulevard after his taco-truck period; Chilangos Seafood at 3617 Williams Blvd. was a later spinoff, according to WWNO. The stretch of Williams Boulevard where the restaurant sits is a major commercial and dining corridor in Jefferson Parish, connecting Interstate 10 to Lake Pontchartrain and drawing numerous eateries that cater to the area's Hispanic community, the outlet notes.
Rather than stay and help, Andino allegedly passed the gun to a woman at the scene before fleeing in a pickup truck, the station's report states. He did not stop to assist the wounded man or call for aid, according to the same account. Andino was later charged with obstruction of justice and failure to seek assistance for a person with a serious injury.
Arrest Came Six Days Later During a Traffic Stop
Kenner police identified Andino as a suspect in the days that followed and arrested him during a traffic stop on September 28 in the 3100 block of Loyola Drive. Kenner Police Deputy Chief Mark McCormick released details of both the shooting and the arrest.
Andino was booked with obstruction of justice, failure to seek assistance for a person with a serious injury, possession of a firearm in an alcoholic beverage outlet, and driving with a suspended license, in addition to the negligent injuring and illegal weapon use charges tied to the shooting itself. He was held at the Jefferson Parish Correctional Center in Gretna, the facility that routinely houses defendants facing felony and misdemeanor charges out of Kenner rather than a municipal lockup. Bail was set at $65,500.
How Louisiana's Gun Laws Intersect With the Charges
The obstruction charge stems from Louisiana R.S. 14:130.1, which treats intentionally transferring physical evidence or hindering an investigation as obstruction of justice — meaning handing off a firearm at the scene before fleeing can carry its own criminal exposure, per the Louisiana State Legislature. The failure-to-assist charge traces to R.S. 14:502, a 2018 law requiring anyone at an emergency scene who knows another person suffered serious bodily injury to render aid or call for help when it is safe to do so, with violations punishable by up to a year in prison and a $1,000 fine.
Louisiana enacted statewide constitutional carry in July 2024, allowing adults 18 and older to carry concealed handguns without a permit, according to Louisiana State Police — but the law kept strict location-based restrictions in place, including for bars and other alcohol-serving venues. Under R.S. 14:95.5, carrying a firearm inside an alcoholic beverage outlet is generally prohibited, though a 2024 amendment carved out an exception for Class A restaurants that draw more than half their revenue from food sales, provided the carrier avoids alcohol, per WeAreArmed. It remains unresolved whether Andino's firearm was legally possessed or whether alcohol was a factor in the accidental discharge.
Negligent Injuring Charge
Andino was charged with negligent injuring under Louisiana R.S. 14:39.
