crime

Suspect arrested in Dante Street carjacking, police say

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The man who allegedly took a woman’s car from her at gunpoint on Dante Street earlier this week was spotted in Jefferson Parish sitting in the same car, and confessed to taking it after he was arrested, New Orleans police said. Shortly after 8 p.m. Tuesday, April 17, a woman got out of her car in the 1800 block of Dante Street and left the door open with the keys inside, according to NOPD reports. When she returned to the car, a man was sitting in the driver’s seat, the report states. She told him to get out, but he pointed a handgun at her and ordered her to leave him alone, before driving off in the car, the report states. On Wednesday, Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s deputies responding to a suspicious person call in the 4000 block of Rye Street found the car parked there, with people inside, according to a subsequent report.

events

“Girls on the Run” program holds annual 5k at Audubon Park on Saturday

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Girls on the Run, a confidence-building program serving nearly 300 school-age girls across the New Orleans area, will celebrate the culmination of this year’s 10-week training program with a 5K race open to the public on Saturday morning in Audubon Park. The race makes a lap around the Audubon Park lagoon and along the Mississippi River levee, starting at 8 a.m. Saturday. Race day activities also include live music and a Wellness Expo after the race. For more details, see the following news release from Girls on the Run:

Girls on the Run New Orleans (GOTR NOLA), a 501 (c) non-profit organization, is celebrating its bi-annual 5k event at Audubon Park on Saturday April 21st, at 8 a.m.

Each fall and spring, the GOTR NOLA 10-week life-changing program culminates with a celebratory 5k event. The 5K is open to the public with a timed start as well as walkers, strollers, and anyone who is looking to get active Saturday morning and support a great cause.

crime

Sandy Kaynor, attorney wounded in 2012 Camp Street shooting, dies from injuries

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Sandy Kaynor, the attorney who was critically wounded when he was shot in the driveway of his Camp Street home in 2012, has died from his injuries, New Orleans police said. Kaynor was shot in the chest Oct. 2, 2012, in the driveway of his home in the 3400 block of Camp Street by attackers in the midst of a citywide crime spree, police said at the time. Bryon Johnson, Devante Billy and Charles Carter were all later indicted on robbery and attempted murder charges in Kaynor’s case, as well as several other robberies and the fatal shooting of a UNO student in New Orleans East. Carter, who was 16 during the crime spree, was convicted at trial in January 2016 and sentenced to 362 years in prison, according to a report by our partners at The New Orleans Advocate.

crime

Woman carjacked on Palmer Avenue in university area, police say

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A woman sitting in her Toyota Camry on Palmer Avenue was carjacked at gunpoint Wednesday night, New Orleans police said. The victim, a 20-year-old woman, was sitting in the car at Palmer and Willow around 11 p.m. Wednesday, April 18, when an assailant armed with handgun opened her door and ordered her out of the vehicle, according to NOPD and Tulane University police reports. She did as he said, and the carjacker with the gun and another man she hadn’t previously noticed got into the car and drove off toward South Claiborne, with her iPhone still inside, the report states. The car is a gray 2005 Toyota Camry with Maine license plate “830 AXE,” the NOPD report states. The victim was unable to tell if the carjacker with the gun was a man or a woman, and could not provide any description of the second person, the Tulane report states.

crime

Man shot to death on South Claiborne Avenue, police say

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A man was shot to death in the South Claiborne Avenue neutral ground in the middle of the afternoon Wednesday, New Orleans police said. The shooting was reported shortly after 3:30 p.m. Wednesday, April 18, on South Claiborne Avenue near First Street, according to NOPD reports. “Upon arrival, officers discovered an unresponsive male lying in the neutral ground and suffering from multiple apparent gunshot wounds,” the report states. The victim, whose name has yet to be released, was taken to the hospital by ambulance, where he was pronounced dead, the reports state. Anyone with information is urged to call the NOPD Homicide Division at 504-658-5300 to speak to Detective Daniel Hiatt, or CrimeStoppers at 822-1111 to leave an anonymous tip that could be eligible for a cash reward.

crime

Man shot in the leg on Josephine Street, police say

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A man was shot in the leg early Tuesday morning on Josephine Street in Central City, New Orleans police said. Shortly after 4 a.m., a man in his late 50s was near Josephine and South Derbigny streets when a white van with two men inside approached, according to the initial NOPD report. “Shots were fired and the victim sustained a gunshot wound,” the report states. The victim was taken to the hospital by ambulance for treatment of a gunshot wound to the leg, and listed in stable condition afterward, the report states. Further details were not immediately available.

city government

Retiring City Councilwoman continues push for stricter short-term rental laws (live video)

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Although she has less than a month left in office, District A City Councilwoman Susan Guidry is continuing to advocate for tighter regulations of AirBnB and other short-term rental platforms that she originally sought two years ago — and the incoming class of council members say they are listening to her. When the City Council was first discussing how to legalize short-term rentals in 2016, Guidry sought to add a requirement that all short-term rentals in residential neighborhoods be limited to houses with a homestead exemption, as a way of requiring that the owner actually live there. While council members Jared Brossett and LaToya Cantrell agreed with her, Guidry’s motion to add the requirement failed by a 3-4 vote — so Guidry ultimately voted against the entire set of laws legalizing short-term rentals. “I decided the regulations didn’t provide enough protection for neighborhoods,” Guidry said on Monday night in a town-hall forum on short-term rentals organized by the Carrollton Area Network. Now, the number of short-term rental licenses issued by the city has grown to 4,500, beyond the range of 2,500 to 4,000 originally estimated by city planners and continuing to grow, according to data gathered by Steve Myers, editor of The Lens.

crime

Man found shot to death inside SUV on Erato Street, police say

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A man was found shot to death early Monday morning inside a SUV on Erato Street, New Orleans police said. Responding to reports of gunfire from the 1300 block of South Galvez Street shortly after 6 a.m., officers found the man in the driver seat of a dark gray SUV in the 3600 block of Erato Street, according to NOPD reports. He had been shot in the head, and he was pronounced dead at the scene, the report states. “Investigators believed the incident occurred near the intersection of Rocheblave and Thalia Streets,” about a block from where the man’s body was found, the report states. The victim’s name has not yet been released by the Orleans Parish Coroner.

city government

Carrollton neighborhood groups to discuss short-term rentals with Guidry, Giarrusso

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Both outgoing District A City Councilwoman Susan Guidry and incoming Councilman Joe Giarrusso III will meet with Carrollton residents tonight to discuss issues relating to short-term rentals. The event is being organized by the Carrollton Area Network, which includes members from the Maple Street area, the Carrollton-Riverbend, Central Carrollton, Northwest Carrollton, Hollygrove, Fontainebleau, Hollygrove-Dixon, Palm-air, Carrollton United and Mid-City. The event will be held from 6 to 8 p.m. tonight (Monday, April 16) at St. Mary’s Dominican High School at 7701 Walmsley Avenue. Secured parking is available on Burdette Street behind the school.

crime

Man carjacked by passengers; St. Charles Avenue business robbed at gunpoint

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A man giving a ride to a woman and her son was carjacked by them Friday evening, and a St. Charles Avenue business was robbed at gunpoint late Sunday night, New Orleans police said. Around 10:30 p.m. Friday, April 13, a man in his 60s picked up a woman and her son and took them toward the intersection of Martin Luther King Boulevard and Freret Street, according to the initial NOPD report. “While driving around, the son, who was in the back seat, proceeded to choke the victim while the female subject went through his pockets,” according to the initial NOPD report. “The victim opened the door and fell out, and the female positioned herself in the driver’s seat, fleeing the location in an unknown direction.”