Two NOPD officers ambushed, shot in French Quarter; suspect apprehended
By Chris Finch
WVUE
October 30, 2020
NEW ORLEANS - According to NOPD Chief Ferguson, two officers were ambushed at the intersection of Royal and St. Philip Street, while they were on a routine patrol.
The officers were allegedly fired at by a passenger in a pedicab riding through the French Quarter. The suspect fired the shots into the officers' vehicle.
One officer was shot in the left cheek and the bullet is now lodged inside of his skull. He is in serious, but stable condition. The second officer received ‘minor abrasions’ to his arm, according to Ferguson.
Both injured officers were then taken to the hospital by other NOPD officers.
The suspect was apprehended near the intersection of St. Peter and Decatur Street. Witnesses in the area helped identify and point out the suspect.
With so many visitors and residents, enjoying the start of this Halloween weekend, Ferguson thanked the public for their help throughout the ordeal.
He says passers-by helped by giving medical attention on the scene and others even helped officers arrest the shooter.
"We have a great community in itself for community great partner with us to New Orleans Police Department. I wouldn’t expect anything else,' Ferguson said.
NOPD says no firearms were fired toward the suspect in the incident.
The identity of the officers has not been released yet.
Residents and workers in the French Quarter describe it as a scary and chaotic scene.
“I heard like 10 to 15 pops. I thought it was probably someone setting off firecrackers for Halloween,” resident Clayton Joyner said.
When Joyner realized it wasn’t Halloween revelry, but people running from a shooting in the French Quarter, he started pulling others inside to safety before closing the doors to the gallery he works.
“It was just one of those moments where instinct just kind of kicks in and you’ve got this adrenaline rush where you hear about this happening in other places and then it’s happening on the block that you’re on and you’re in the middle of it,” Joyner said.
Joyner said when he looked out the door again he clearly saw an injured NOPD officer being assisted into another unit.
“He was bleeding from the side of his face, but he was moving and he was assisted but he seems to be functioning, but of course Dazed,” Ferguson said.
“This is a dark day for our officers,” he added.
Ferguson said the officers didn’t even make contact with the suspect before the shooting began.
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