NEW ORLEANS (WGNO) — New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell addressed the public for her weekly press conference where she discussed the current issues facing the city — particularly crime as the city approached Jazz Fest weekend.
In the last week, several people have been shot in the city, including two separate incidents on Tuesday where a woman was shot while children sat in the backseat of their car.
Around 1 p.m., police say a woman was shot several times in her car in the Tremé as a three-year-old boy sat in the backseat. The child was unharmed, however, the woman later died after being transported to an area hospital.
Hours later, another woman was shot in the St. Claude area. Police say the woman was struck in her upper body while two children in the backseat were injured after being struck by debris. Another child in the car was unharmed.
Dozens of other shootings have also occurred in the last week, which included a deadly night when six people, including three teenage boys, were shot and killed within a five-hour time span on Thursday. One of the victims was a senior at Eleanor McMain High School who was set to graduate in less than two weeks.
New details from the mayor indicate the deadly night involved two inmates from the New Orleans Juvenile Justice Center who had recently been released with ankle monitors. The mayor says the city is working with the juvenile courts system to evaluate the conditions to which an inmate is released and how they are monitored.
Just one day earlier, the New Orleans Police Department announced it would once again be bringing in extra enforcement from the Louisiana State Police in crime-ridden areas of town, including the French Quarter and on interstates that run through the city. The mayor says this is crucial as we head into the summer months, which commonly see higher rates of juvenile crime.
Cantrell adds a curfew could be coming for minors in the summer months, however, details on that are forthcoming.
You can watch the mayor’s press conference live at 11 a.m. Wednesday in the player above. Stay tuned to WGNO on air and online for the latest.
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