Police blotter: Shooters target 23-year-old woman, 15-year-old boy; 87-year-old man struck and robbed

Two shootings and a robbery were reported by the New Orleans Police Department in Uptown neighborhoods during the past week. On Wednesday (April 7), a woman was shot multiple times in Central City. Sixth District officers investigating a shooting just before 5 p.m. found the 23-year-old victim suffering from gunshot wounds in the 1400 block of at Freret Street, near Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard. Medical responders took her to a hospital for treatment. Police said gunmen opened fire on the woman, and she was shot as she was fleeing the bullets.

Endangered places: 1860s cottage in the heart of Central City

The real estate market in Central City is hot right now. At the high end, a house on South Rampart Street recently sold for $600,000 and two others, on Josephine Street and South Liberty Street, have sold in the $400,000 range. At the other end of the price and move-in ready spectrum, a house on South Robertson Street, which looks like it is only a façade covered in cat’s claw at this point, sold for $30,000. These homes and prices also reflect the evolving housing stock of the neighborhood. A quick drive around reveals modest family homes next to abandoned houses in a state of an advanced decay next to gleaming renovations.

Suspects arrested in Hoffman Triangle shooting

The NOPD has arrested Edward Bradford-Allen, 33, and Dametrius James, 51, in the investigation of a shooting on Feb. 5 in the 2700 block of South Derbigny Street. In that incident, a 26-year-old man was shot in the chest at close range while he inside a vehicle. Medical responders took him to a local hospital for treatment. Through investigation, NOPD Sixth District detectives were able to identify a suspect vehicle and a possible suspect, later identified as Bradford-Allen.

Viewpoint: It’s hard for law-abiding citizens to get justice these days

It probably was a case of mistaken identity that could have turned deadly for Jhamal Shelby Jr., a soft-spoken St. Augustine High School star athlete and honor student.  

One recent afternoon after practice, Shelby drove to his father’s home in New Orleans East. Before he could park his car, a young man jumped out of a nearby vehicle and began shooting. Eighteen shots were fired before the perpetrators fled the scene. One bullet visibly grazed the side of Shelby’s head and damaged his eyesight.

Uptown’s Cajun luminary finds new audiences in virtual concerts

The last live show for musician David Doucet, a longtime Uptown resident, was March 8, 2020, at The Dakota in Minneapolis, playing with Cajun band BeauSoleil. David, guitarist for the Grammy-awarded band, is widely credited with transforming the acoustic guitar into an important voice of southwest Louisiana’s signature music. The younger brother of Cajun fiddler Michael Doucet, the Touro area resident has used his distinctive hybrid of fingerpicking and flatpicking guitar playing to enhance the performances of BeauSoleil, the band he and his brother have performed in since the mid-1970s. In 1991, David Doucet launched his own solo debut with the release of the album “Quand J’ai Parti.” David is bilingual, having learned French from his parents and grandparents, who luckily still spoke the language.

Vintage Green Review opens zero-waste store on Magazine

Vintage Green Review, a local zero-waste education and consulting business, has opened its first brick-and-mortar store at 3530 Magazine St. After gauging community interest over a multi-week pop-up at the same address, the store’s owner, Sarah Andert, was so encouraged by the reception that she signed a lease to make her residence permanent. “Operating out of a physical location allows me to engage directly and regularly with customers,” Andert said. This marks New Orleans’ first zero-waste store and bulk refill bar, according to a press release that states it offers “a long-term option for plastic-free living, sustainable shopping, zero waste supplies, and the ability to refill household and personal care products in reusable containers.”

While the shop is currently open for business, its grand opening weekend will kick off on Earth Day, April 22, and continue through April 25. The event will feature discounted supplies, product giveaways and pop-up food vendors.