NEW ORLEANS — Three days into the new year and the city's crime problem continues to take lives.
It's the most recent bloodshed in New Orleans - four people were shot Tuesday evening on S. Rocheblave Street, near Washington Avenue. All of them were taken to the hospital.
That same day, police found three decomposing bodies at a home on Gentilly Boulevard near the Fairgrounds. Investigators are classifying the deaths as homicides because they found bullets nearby. They think the bodies had been there for days.
People who live in the area think one of the victims is their neighbor.
"It really hurt me because he never bothered nobody. The only thing he used to do is dance and try and make people happy," Randall McCoy told Eyewitness News.
Just hours before that discovery, another all-too-familiar act of violence. Someone was shot on the interstate at Orleans Avenue Monday night.
According to the Metropolitan Crime Commission, in 2022 there were 17 non-fatal and seven fatal shootings on i-10 or the i-10 exit ramp. There was one non-fatal shooting on i-610 and six non-fatal shootings on US90.
With the rampant crime, some people have taken to social media to spread the rumor that a single person is responsible for targeting drivers on the interstate.
Former NOPD Police Chief Eddie Compass says that is a complete make-believe. He says the majority of the time its road rage or drug-related.
“May’ve been something involving drugs, involving some kind of our domestic dispute, something that may’ve festered over the years,” Chief Compass said. “These individuals are not proficient in the use of firearms, they stick the guns out the window, pull the trigger, they have these automatic weapons."
The NOPD has also debunked the myth of a single shooter.
“These interstate shootings are random acts, nor any indication that a single source is responsible. Multiple variables must be taken into consideration when investigating these incidents," NOPD said. "Some cases are believed to be interactions between motorists that, unfortunately, escalate into incidents of road rage. In others, pre-existing feuds are believed to be involved with perpetrators believed to be committing isolated crimes of opportunity against a known victim. Also, in some cases, it appears that unintended targets may have been caught in the line of fire."