NEW ORLEANS — Two men were killed and two others were injured when some people in a pickup truck passed by their location in the Seventh Ward and opened fire Friday afternoon, according to the New Orleans Police Department.
Vance Vaucresson, who owns a well-known business nearby, said the men who were shot were a group of “older guys who just bring their lawn chairs out and enjoy the neighborhood.”
The two men who passed away were identified by the coroner's office on March 25th as 64-year-old Reginald Thompson and 56-year-old Farrell Davis.
Police said a white pickup truck drove by the scene and someone inside opened fire. Vaucresson said he estimated more than two dozen shots.
“It’s very upsetting,” said NOPD Chief Deputy Superintendent Hans Ganthier. “We’ll do our best to find [the people who did this].”
Ganthier said the pickup was found a short distance later but that at the moment there were no arrests.
One of the victims was pronounced dead on the scene. The other three victims were taken to the hospital where one of them passed away.
"This is one of the things in the city that we're constantly trying to address," said Vaucresson. "This is our neighborhood... we have to protect it."
Friday’s deaths bring the total of those killed in Seventh Ward shootings this year to four. In January, one man died only six blocks away after he was shot in the 1800 block of A.P. Tureaud Street. Another man was killed in February near Hardin Park.
“We can’t let violence keep happening in this area, because even our people will want to move out,” Vaucresson said.
All four murders took place in the early afternoon, and city officials say they hope to see justice served.
“It’s going to be a situation where more families are going to be hurt, because the people who perpetrated this crime, especially in the daylight around crime cameras, are going to be found,” said City Councilman Eugene Green.
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