Employee dead, tourist injured in shooting at New Orleans restaurant

NEW ORLEANS (WVUE/Gray News) - Police say a restaurant employee was killed and a tourist was injured after a shooting in front of a popular New Orleans restaurant on the opening day of Jazz Fest.

The shooting happened Friday night outside of the popular restaurant Mandina’s, a New Orleans staple for 90 years, WVUE reports. Police say they received reports of a shooting around 8:20 p.m. and confirmed it 10 minutes later.

According to police, a 23-year-old man was outside of the restaurant when he was fatally struck by gunfire. Witnesses say the victim was a Mandina’s employee.

At least one bullet was fired through the front of the store, striking a woman who was dining inside. Officials say the woman, from Chicago, was in town for Jazz Fest and celebrating a friend’s birthday at Mandina’s. She was taken to the hospital in stable condition.

New Orleans Police Interim Superintendent Michelle Woodfork said in a press conference Saturday that the male victim was the intended target of the shooting.

An armed security guard routinely stationed at the restaurant returned fire, Woodfork said. It is unclear if any of the suspected gunmen were wounded.

“My deepest condolences go out to the victims of this terrible crime and their loved ones,” said Mayor LaToya Cantrell in a statement. “The people of New Orleans stand united in their rejection of the gun violence plaguing our nation and our community. We need stronger gun laws and penalties, as well as accountability across all public safety agencies, if we’re ever going to end this crisis.”

The restaurant was closed Saturday. The owners said they planned to reopen next week.

No arrest warrants have been issued at this time.

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