NEW ORLEANS — A 22-year-old man was shot and killed after members of the NOPD VOWS unit tried to serve what they called a "high risk warrant" to a suspect in a murder and attempted murder case, NOPD Deputy Superintendent Christopher Goodly said.
The shooting occurred around 9:30 a.m. in the 3300 block of South Robertson Street, near Louisiana Avenue.
According to Goodly, the VOWS unit along with the U.S. Marshal's Office was on hand to serve the warrant and they were met by the man who was holding a "long rifle."
Goodly said there were negotiations and that at some point the officers opened fire and the suspect was killed. Goodly said it was uncertain if the suspect fired at officers and that would be part of the investigation.
"Our force investigation team will be handling the incident," said Goodly, who also said the independent police monitor was on the scene.
Goodly said the deceased suspect, whose name is being withheld pending family notification, was wanted for a shooting in August 2021 where one person was killed and another wounded on Piety Street.
A woman who said she was with the deceased man last night and said she had been dating him for about a month, described what she said happened.
"We (woke up) to police knocking on the door," she said. "I came out. They didn't give him a chance. He didn't really get to come out and we heard gunshots."
The woman, who asked to remain anonymous, said the man she knew was a good man.
"He was a really good person, genuinely. He was a good father to his newborn... He rapped. He was a good rapper."
Mayor Cantrell was on the scene and talked about the police action.
"As you can see, this is still a very active investigation, but it's also an example of how the New Orleans Police Department in partnership with U.S. Marshal continue to engage, continuing to put their lives on the line to protect and serve. In spite of criticisms, they do the job. They show up every single day," said Mayor LaToya Cantrell, whose administration has come under fire, along with the NOPD, as the city has been seeing a rash of violent crime over the past several months.
Thursday morning's shooting is the fifth time this year and second time this week that an NOPD officer called a Signal 108, indicating an officer's life was in danger. The shooting comes less than 48 hours after NOPD officers shot and wounded a suspect near the Lafitte Greenway in another exchange of gunfire.
No officers were injured in that shooting on Tuesday night. The suspect's injuries in that shooting were said to be non-life-threatening.
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WWL-TV investigator David Hammer contributed to this report.