Update: New Orleans Police report that Garrett James Ward surrendered to police Wednesday morning. He was booked into the Orleans Parish Justice Center on one count of second-degree murder.
Original story below:
Police are looking for a Baton Rouge man who is accused of drunkenly beating a man in Central City who later died from his injuries.
According to the New Orleans Police Department, 25-year-old Garrett James Ward is wanted for the second-degree murder of Arnold Jackson on Jan. 6.
Around 1:30 a.m., witnesses in the 2000 block of St. Charles Avenue told officers that a man punched and kicked Jackson several times before fleeing to the upper level of a parking garage. Officers found Ward and he was detained on suspicion of battery.
Ward was reportedly highly intoxicated at the time of arrest. He was booked into the Orleans Parish Justice Center for second-degree battery and released after a court appearance.
Jackson was transported to a local hospital where he died two weeks later on Jan. 18. The Orleans Parish Coroner’s Office classified the death as a homicide due to his injuries.
Detectives believe Ward is in the Baton Rouge area.
Anyone with information about Ward’s whereabouts is asked to contact NOPD homicide detective Nicholas Williams at 504-658-5300. Residents can also report information to Crimestoppers at 504-822-1111.