NEW ORLEANS - New Orleans Police interviewed a man they believe might have fired into a Gentilly home, hitting a 7-year-old in the stomach and the boy's cousin in the foot.
A family member told WWL-TV the cousins are doing okay and are expected to make a full recovery. The family did not want to do an interview on-camera but did say this was a terrifying ordeal. Neighbors were shocked to learn this happened on New Orleans Street.
"It's typically a quiet neighborhood. Everyone knows everyone. Dillard is down the street. The students live in this neighborhood," resident Dustin Thomas said.
Early Sunday morning a man fired multiple times into a house on New Orleans Street. It was all captured on the family's home security camera. The shots hit a 7-year-old in the stomach and the boy's older cousin in the foot.
"That completely caught me off guard," Thomas said. "Something like that is very tragic and I hope the kid gets well."
Both the boy and his cousin are expected to make a full recovery.
New Orleans Police brought one person in for questioning and then released him. They say the evidence will either confirm he's their guy or send them in a different direction.
"The most important thing for us is we get the right person and put him in jail," Third District Commander Jeff Walls said. "That's why we're taking our time with this. We want to make sure we have the right person."
Police won't say how they were led to this suspect or if the family knows him. They also aren't saying what the motive is. With the suspect back out on the streets, neighbors are left wondering if they could be next.
"Very scary," Thomas said. "That could happen to anyone. I have a son of my own and I can only imagine something like that happening to him. I want to protect him as much as I can."
Police say this suspect could be looking at an attempted murder charge.