A man was found bleeding with multiple stab wounds near the intersection of Martin Luther King Boulevard and South Galvez Street in Central City late Sunday night, according to police. Officers responded to a call about a bleeding man in the area around 11:50 p.m., and EMS transported him to an area hospital.
The New Orleans Police Department is investigating the stabbing, according to WDSU, which reported that officers found the man with multiple stab wounds after arriving near Central City. The station, citing police, said the call came in shortly before midnight Sunday. As of the station's report, the victim's current medical condition, the identity of the attacker, and a possible motive had not been made public.
Sixth District Detectives Take the Case
The stretch of Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard and South Galvez Street falls within NOPD's Sixth District, which handles patrol response and violent crime investigations across Central City, Broadmoor, and the Irish Channel, according to the City of New Orleans. University Medical Center New Orleans is home to the Norman E. McSwain, Jr., MD, Spirit of Charity Trauma Center — the only verified Level 1 Trauma Center in South Louisiana, per LCMC Health. It remains unclear whether that is where this victim was taken.
Whether the case results in charges — and what those charges might look like — depends on what investigators determine about intent. Under Louisiana Revised Statute 14:34, aggravated battery with a dangerous weapon such as a knife is a felony carrying up to 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $5,000, according to the Louisiana State Legislature. If prosecutors determine there was specific intent to kill, the charge could instead become attempted second-degree murder, which carries a statutory penalty of 10 to 50 years at hard labor without the possibility of parole, probation, or a suspended sentence, per the 16th Judicial District of Louisiana District Attorney's Office.
A Neighborhood With a History of Knife Violence
This is not the first violent stabbing NOPD has investigated in Central City. WWL-TV reported that in September 2025, a stabbing along the 2100 block of South Liberty Street left one man dead and another hospitalized. Hoodline previously reported on an arrest in that case six months after the fatal stabbing.
The neighborhood has also seen other recent violence along the same corridor. Hoodline reported in August that police were searching for a man after a shooting targeting the mother of his child near Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, and in June covered a late-night shooting that erupted at an Airbnb gathering in Central City. In July 2025, Hoodline also reported on a fatal shooting at Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard and South Liberty Street.
Citywide Violence Trends Downward Even as Central City Sees Incidents
The stabbing comes even as New Orleans has posted historic drops in violent crime. NOPD reported in late July that citywide violent crime fell 70% during the first half of 2026 compared with the same period in 2022, including a 72% drop in homicides. Statistics published in early September showed the city recorded 22 murders from May through August 2026 — the lowest four-month summer homicide total since at least 2019.
Orleans Parish District Attorney Jason Williams announced in January that New Orleans had achieved its lowest annual homicide rate in 50 years, crediting multi-agency law enforcement coordination, according to the Orleans Parish District Attorney's Office. Crime analyst Jeff Asher noted in July that the city was on pace to record its lowest annual murder total since at least the 1960s, as reported by Axios. Still, not every category has improved: Police1 reported that armed robberies rose slightly from 109 to 115 and carjackings increased from 38 to 48 year-over-year even as homicides and nonfatal shootings declined.
For now, the stabbing near Martin Luther King Boulevard and South Galvez Street remains an open investigation. NOPD has not released information on a suspect or motive.
