NEW ORLEANS — The man accused of trying to kill two NOPD officers sitting in their car in the French Quarter in a brazen daylight attack was a 20-year military veteran and isn't associated with any domestic terrorism or anti-police groups, department leaders said Monday.
Superintendent Shaun Ferguson provided the bits of background on 44-year-old Donnell Hassell during a briefing with media Friday.
Ferguson said investigators were still unsure what motive Hassell had when he allegedly shot at two NOPD officers with no warning Friday.
"We have no reason to believe he had any association with any of these type of groups," Ferguson said. "\We still do not have a motive for his actions."
He noted that federal law enforcement agencies didn't have Hassell on their radar before the attack. Hassell appeared to have no criminal record at all before the shooting, Ferguson said.
Ferguson also said Hassell was a 20-year military veteran, but did not provide details about what branch of the military he served in or any details about his time in the armed forces.
Authorities say Hassell was in the back of a pedicab headed along St. Phillip Street when he stood up and began firing a handgun at two NOPD officers sitting in their patrol vehicle, parked on Royal Street.
One officer, 4-year veteran Trevor Abney, was hit in the cheek, just below his left eye. He was taken to the hospital with a bullet lodged in his skull, but was coherent and able to walk into the hospital on his own and talk after the attack. He is expected to survive.
"He is in decent spirit given the circumstances," Ferguson said. "But we are still very concerned. There is some concern about his left eye, his vision."
His partner, Brooke Duncan IV, was treated for minor injuries caused by glass shards shattered by the bullets.
It was a brazen attack with no warning in the middle of a busy intersection in the French Quarter, at the start of a busy Halloween weekend.
Hassell is from Georgia, and appears to have been staying as a tourist in a nearby French Quarter Hotel.
After the shooting, Hassell allegedly took off, but didn't go far. Police chased him down to a construction site near the intersection of Decatur and St. Peter streets, about six blocks away, and arrested him without incident.
A .40 caliber handgun registered to Hassell was recovered near where he was arrested. While forensic testing has not been completed on the 12 .40 caliber bullet casings found near the scene of the shooting, Ferguson said they were most likely from Hassell's gun.
Instead of being immediately booked, he was taken to the hospital after his for what was described as a “medical episode.”
NOPD Superintendent Shaun Ferguson said the episode wasn't caused by the arrest.
Over the weekend, Hassell was released from the hospital and booked into the Orleans Parish Jail.
Hassell faces two charges of attempted first-degree murder of a police officer. Each charge has a maximum sentence of 50 years if convicted, and more charges are possible.
More Stories:
► Get breaking news from your neighborhood delivered directly to you by downloading the new FREE WWL-TV News app now in the IOS App Store or Google Play.
