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Fentanyl overdoses outpace murders in New Orleans in 2022

In a city that earned the title "Murder Capital of America" last year, the coroner says that Fentanyl overdoses may have killed twice as many people as guns.

NEW ORLEANS — Orleans Parish Coroner Dwight McKenna deals with death every day.

In 2022, nearly 500 of those deaths were from overdoses — most of them caused by Fentanyl.

"I've never seen anything like this," McKenna said. "I like to call Fentanyl the Angel of Death."

In a city that earned the title "Murder Capital of America" last year, the coroner says that Fentanyl overdoses may have killed twice as many people as guns.

That's a trend that's happening nationwide.

Recently, it hit close to home for Mayor LaToya Cantrell.

"Having been faced with two of our officers here recently having to be administered Narcan really led me to bolstering our efforts to educate our workforce and even training our workforce on administering Narcan," Cantrell said.

You can learn to stop an overdose too.

The New Orleans Department of Health offers "Overdose Response" and "Bystander Response Training" classes that teach people how to identify an overdose and treat someone with Narcan.

You can book those classes on their website.

Doses of Narcan, or Naloxone, are available through the NOHD and at several pharmacies across New Orleans.

McKenna says it could be the difference between life and death.

"Please, parents, talk to your children. Know where they are," he said. "Because once they get into my office, it's over."

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