New Orleans police officers responded to the 5900 block of Royal Street in the Holy Cross neighborhood Wednesday after reports of shots fired, urging residents to stay clear of the area while they worked to form a security perimeter. No confirmed details about injuries or suspects had been released as of Wednesday afternoon.
According to WGNO, the New Orleans Police Department said a perimeter was being formed around the block and that boundaries would be announced once officers had it secured. The station described the situation as a developing story, with residents asked to avoid the immediate area of the 5900 block of Royal Street while officers worked the scene. As reported by WWL-TV, initial police reports contained no confirmed information about who, if anyone, was hurt.
A Neighborhood That Has Seen Gun Violence Before
Holy Cross has had its share of violent incidents over the past year. Just two weeks before Christmas, WWL-TV reported that 63-year-old Pauline Hooker was found shot to death on a porch in the 900 block of St. Maurice Avenue, not far from Wednesday's scene. In January, Hoodline reported that two people were wounded in a shooting on Andry Street, also in Holy Cross, and hospitalized after an evening attack.
Those cases sit alongside a broader trend in the neighborhood's policing history. In August, Hoodline detailed NOPD's Fifth District. Holy Cross itself is a subdistrict of the Lower Ninth Ward, bounded by St. Claude Avenue to the north, St. Bernard Parish to the east, the Mississippi River to the south, and the Industrial Canal to the west, according to city planning records.
Citywide Numbers Tell a Different Story
Wednesday's shooting comes even as violent crime has been falling sharply across New Orleans. Metropolitan Crime Commission bulletin data from earlier this month shows homicide victims in Orleans Parish down 34% and nonfatal shooting incidents down 22% compared to the same period last year, per the Metropolitan Crime Commission. WVUE Fox 8 reported in July that overall violent crime citywide had fallen 70% compared to 2022 levels.
Those citywide gains don't erase the uncertainty hanging over Wednesday's incident. Detectives have not said whether anyone was hit by gunfire, and no suspect description has been released. It also remains unclear exactly where NOPD ultimately drew the perimeter boundaries once the scene was secured, a detail police said they would announce as the operation developed.
Potential Charges if Suspects Are Found
Louisiana law lays out steep penalties for anyone eventually tied to the gunfire. Under Louisiana Revised Statute 14:94, illegally discharging a firearm where death or great bodily harm is foreseeable carries up to two years in prison, rising to five to 10 years at hard labor if the firearm was discharged from a motor vehicle on a public street or highway with intent to injure, harm, or frighten another person, according to Justia Law. If someone was struck by gunfire, any additional charges would depend on the circumstances.
Anyone with information about the shooting can call Crimestoppers of Greater New Orleans at (504) 822-1111, which offers rewards of up to $2,500 for anonymous tips leading to a felony arrest, according to Crimestoppers GNO. NOPD has not said whether it plans to release surveillance footage or seek specific tips tied to the Royal Street scene as the investigation continues.
