NEW ORLEANS — A man was shot and killed just after midnight Sunday outside the Ace Hotel in the CBD, according to the New Orleans Police Department. The victim is believed to be a hotel valet driver.
Isaac Levy from Miami was staying at the Ace Hotel this weekend. He said when he got back in after 2 a.m. Sunday, the hotel was blocked off.
"All the roads back there and there were blocked off with caution tape and there was like the homicide people here and everything and the police officers, they weren’t letting any of us into the hotel," Levy said.
He took an Uber to his brother's dorm to stay for the night and he said the hotel staff didn't offer much information about what happened.
"They were just really quiet about it when we asked questions, it was very hush-hush," Levy said.
According to NOPD, officers responded to an aggravated battery by shooting call just after midnight Sunday. When they arrived, they found a man with multiple gunshot wounds. He was pronounced dead at the hospital. Police said the victim and suspect were in an argument.
A source with knowledge of the situation told our partners at Nola.com, the victim was an Ace Hotel valet worker. He was allegedly shot to death after an argument with a customer that caused both men to draw guns on each other.
The source also told Nola.com the valet employee was possibly the aggressor in this situation and the customer was not taken into custody, although NOPD has not confirmed that.
A manager at the Ace Hotel said they could not comment on the incident. NOPD has not released the identities of either man involved.