New Orleans Bourbon Street shooting leaves 1 dead
A New Orleans Bourbon street shooting leaves 1 person dead and 2 people injured.
The woman who was killed along New Orleans' famed Bourbon Street on Sunday -- when a man being removed from a restaurant took a security guard's gun and started firing -- was identified by the hospital where she worked as a "beloved nurse."
Julie Couvillon, 36, was walking along the tourist hotspot with friends when a man identified as 37-year-old Louis Barnes was being removed from Willie's Chicken Shack. Barnes allegedly took a security guard's gun and started firing.
Couvillon was struck by a bullet and taken to University Medical Center where she was pronounced dead.
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The 36-year-old nurse worked at Ochsner Health System for over a decade, hospital officials told FOX8.
"An employee for 13 years, Julie was a beloved nurse who dedicated her life to caring for others," the statement read. "This is a devastating loss to the nurses, employees, physicians and staff across our system."
Friends of Couvillon also shared messages on Facebook to remember her and express condolences.
"She really was an angel on earth," Abbey Capers wrote.
Friend and former co-worker Rosaleen Brown told The Advocate she spoke with Couvillon before she went out with friends, telling her to have fun but to also be careful.
“It doesn’t make any sense,” Brown told the Advocate. “It just breaks my heart that her daughter doesn’t have a mom anymore.”
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New Orleans Police Chief Shaun Ferguson said Barnes was also shot in the shoulder during the struggle over the weapon before he was eventually arrested. Ferguson said eight officers nearby heard shots fired and responded immediately to "contain the scene."
A woman was killed and a security guard was injured after a man stole the guard's gun and opened fire on Bourbon Street in New Orleans early Sunday, officials said. (FOX8)
The security guard was struck in the neck and had to undergo surgery, but was listed in stable condition as of Sunday night.
Barnes was booked into the Orleans Justice Center jail Sunday morning on one count each of second-degree murder and attempted second-degree murder. After appearing in court, Orleans Parish Magistrate Commissioner Robert Blackburn set his bond at $1.5 million and assigned a public defender to his case, FOX8 reported.
Louis Barnes, 37, is accused of shooting and killing a woman on New Orleans' Bourbon Street during a struggle with a security guard. (Orleans Parish Jail)
The 37-year-old has a lengthy criminal history in Orleans Parish with charges dating back to 1999, according to FOX8.
At the time of his arrest on Sunday, Barnes had an open case regarding his failure to register as a sex offender, stemming from a 2015 charge out of Jefferson Parish.
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Since Friday, Ferguson said that seven guns have been confiscated during arrests on Bourbon Street. The chief urged people to leave their weapons at home as celebrations rev up as part of Mardi Gras season.
"Do not bring guns out here on Bourbon Street," he told reporters. "Please be responsible while you're out here."
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