NEW ORLEANS — A woman is recovering in the hospital after she was shot three times, according to New Orleans Police.
Residents near Esplanade and North Johnson were woken up just after 4 a.m. on Sept. 9 to gunfire.
“I heard three quick shots go off," Matt Norton said, “I could hear the woman saying she had been shot and please help me and she had been shot in the arms and legs, and that the person had taken her cellphone and her earphones or her AirPods and she was pleading for help.”
The victim, 36-year-old Nya Harrison, said she was on a walk that morning. She said Esplanade is one of her favorite places to run and walk.
Harrison said she suffered a broken arm, collapsed lung and another gunshot wound to the leg. She spent Hurricane Francine at University Medical Center recovering from multiple surgeries.
NOPD said the suspect asked for Harrison's number. When she refused to give it to him, the suspect threatened to take her belongings.
Then, he went back to his vehicle, retrieved a gun, and fired, according to police.
Matt Norton said he and other neighbors called 911.
“Hearing her voice up on the second-floor balcony was really kind of heartbreaking," Norton said, "But luckily, you heard the sirens of the police approaching pretty quickly.”
Norton said police and EMS arrived within five minutes.
By that time, the suspect had fled up Claiborne Avenue towards I-10, NOPD said.
Harrison was taken to the hospital in an ambulance.
Her friends started a GoFundMe to raise money while she's unable to work. Harrison credits her health for keeping her alive.
"What saved my life is my dedication to fitness, and not fitness for vanity, but for self care," Harrison said, "I stay ready and that's exactly what I did."
Meanwhile, neighbors said they want to see better cameras and visibility for residents and runners alike.
NOPD said this is an active investigation. If you have any information, you're asked to call CrimeStoppers at 504-822-1111. You can remain anonymous.
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