NEW ORLEANS — A man charged with shooting and killing a Mid-City security guard was arrested and booked on murder charges Monday morning.
Tirrell Gilmore, 27, was arrested by the Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office and booked with killing security guard Darriel King, 53, NOPD Chief Anne Kirkpatrick said Monday afternoon.
"Suspect Gilmore is currently being held in Jefferson Parish and will be transferred back to Orleans Parish to face a charge of second-degree murder," Chief Kirkpatrick said Monday.
King who worked as a security guard for the Wit's Inn bar on North Carrollton, had apparently denied Gilmore entry to the bar, for not meeting Wit's Inn's 30-year-old age requirement, according to a spokesperson.
After King was killed, city councilmembers rallied for a public safety review of bar operations.
"This is a terrible tragedy, particularly since issues in this area had been flagged for so long," Council President Helena Moreno said in early April. "We need to use every tool available to curb violence in our city."
King was familiar to New Orleans political leaders for his work as an organizer. The 53-year-old security guard had also appeared on the ballot during the March Louisiana Primary as a candidate for the state Democratic Executive Committee.
"Whenever there was a community event, someone to volunteer, mentoring, cleanup, anywhere in the city -- he was that person committed to community service," Councilman Oliver Thomas said of King on the day he was killed. "People with so many guns can't settle disputes, and here one of my good friends, someone who did everything they could to help their city paid the price for his life."
King had also been photographed standing with Mayor LaToya Cantrell, after graduating from a New Orleans government leadership class in December.
"The incident at Wit's Inn was an absolute tragedy, and the whole community mourns the loss of Mr. King." Mayor Cantrell said on April 9. "The whole community mourns the loss of Mr. King. I wholeheartedly believe that he was a hero that night and his heroic actions saved lives. No one should have to lose their life simply for doing their jobs."
The announcement of Gilmore's arrest came as New Orleans law enforcement officials and city leaders responded to a deadly mass shooting outside a warehouse district nightclub on Monday. Chief Kirkpatrick said the two shootings were unrelated.
