I had to read the story twice. I wish the papers had better editors. This is New Orleans.
Zelda Townsend heard a car alarm outside her Mid-City home Wednesday night (May 8), prompting her husband to go outside and look into it, a NOPD Homicide detective wrote in an affidavit.

Townsend’s husband saw a person in the back seat of their vehicle, the detective wrote, and blocked the person’s exit. Townsend, 63, went outside and handed her husband a gun, the document states.

A car NOPD Superintendent Shaun Ferguson said police believe was the intended getaway car pulled up to the block in the 2700 block of Cleveland Avenue. The affidavit states a male voice came from the passing car, saying, “Just shoot him. Just shoot him.”

The affidavit asserted probable cause for a second-degree murder arrest warrant for 17-year-old Emanuel Pipkins. It states the person in the burglarized car, who police allege was Pipkins, was still inside Townsend’s vehicle when he “began firing at Zelda Townsend” and her husband.

When officers arrived about 10 p.m., they found Townsend on the ground with a gunshot wound to the head, according to the affidavit sworn by NOPD Detective Barret Morton. She died at the hospital, police said.

Townsend’s husband returned fire, the document states, but was shot in the left arm. Police said Pipkins, who is accused in Townsend’s murder, was struck by gunfire in the exchange. He was booked on the murder charge at the Orleans Justice Center jail Thursday, after being released from the hospital. The Orleans Public Defender’s Office was appointed to represent him Friday.

Police were led to Pipkins after receiving notice someone had arrived at a hospital with a gunshot wound to the back. Pipkins said he was shot by an unknown person in New Orleans East, Morton wrote in the affidavit.

Pipkins aunt and legal guardian who had brought him to the hospital told police she last saw her nephew about 8 p.m. at their apartment in Treme, before she saw he had been wounded by gunfire. Pipkins was with his girlfriend, the aunt told police, and they left in a gray Acura sedan – the same description of the car that fled the Cleveland Avenue crime scene.

Officers canvassing the area after the fatal shooting found the Acura at St. Philips and North Miro streets. The car had been reported stolen prior to the shooting, officers learned. Pipkins’ aunt told police she believed the Acura belonged to Pipkins’ girlfriend’s relative. The affidavit does not make clear if the aunt would have known the Acura was reported stolen.

An eyewitness at the scene told investigators they knew Pipkins, that Pipkins burglarized cars, and that he had gone to the block where the gunfire exchange occurred to “break into vehicles and commit burglaries,” the affidavit states. The person also said they saw Pipkins get confronted by an armed man while inside a vehicle. The witness told police they then heard heard gunfire and saw Pipkins running toward South White Street – the same direction another witness said Pipkins ran on foot after the shooting. That witness said they saw Pipkins with a blue steel handgun earlier on the day of the fatal shooting, Morton wrote.

A search of Pipkins’ home turned up a 9mm handgun in an air conditioning vent, the affidavit states. Police found spent shell casings that appeared to be 9 mm in size in or around Townsend’s vehicle, Morton wrote.

Orleans Parish Magistrate Commissioner Jonathan Friedman set Pipkins’ bond at $750,000, court records show.

At a news conference Thursday, New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell remarked on Pipkins’ age, noting he had recently turned 17 -- booking records list his birthday in February -- and called on parents to be accountable for their children’s whereabouts. Ferguson also spoke of the need for parents, as well as NOPD and others in the criminal justice system to improve in their approach to juvenile crime.

“I’m disgusted,” Ferguson said about the shooting. “I’m disheartened. I’m upset. I’m angry. And I’m disappointed.”

Ferguson prefaced by saying he was “not here today to point any fingers,” before asking New Orleans residents to avoid confronting potential perpetrators, and to call police if they are being victimized.

LINK: https://www.nola.com/crime/201...ty-womans-death.html

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to improve in their approach to juvenile crime.

Nonsense. Someone, regardless of age, who shoots a 63 year old woman in the head, isn't involved in "juvenile crime". They are involved in murder, and should be put up against a wall and shot. Promptly.

How terrible. Sucks that the lady was shot.
How is it second degree? He carried a gun while committing a crime.

I just read this story on WGNO website. They also had a map showing a huge increase in car break ins and auto theft in NOLA. My kid lives on Palmetto St. Earlier this year, someone stole the tires and wheels off his GFs car while it was parked in the apartment complex lot. It concerns me that he could surprise someone going through his car, since he leaves for work at 2300.
I wish he would GTFO of NOLA! At least he is close to Costco.

Artie has the right playbook....

Most people foolishly believe that kids are all innocent and incapable of anything worse than a little mischief.

My best friend in college caught a couple of 12 year olds breaking into cars in the apartment parking lot. One of them stabbed him in the head with the 12" screwdriver he was using to break into cars. Mike died hours later. The investigation revealed the kid had stabbed a dog in the head over a fence for the crime of barking less than an hour before. Pure evil that ended the future of an honor student and top notch flight instructor & pilot.

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I wish he would GTFO of NOLA! At least he is close to Costco

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
The Miss. Gulf Coast is an hour drive from NOLA and a whole lot safer. What does your son do?

A friend of mine, on street patrol duty in Northern Ireland, was approached by a little boy who looked, and was, ten years old. The boy asked my pal for the time of day, and when he pulled up his sleeve cuff, produced an old Colt revolver from his school bag and shot him point-blank in the head.

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Originally posted by tacfoley:

A friend of mine, on street patrol duty in Northern Ireland, was approached by a little boy who looked, and was, ten years old. The boy asked my pal for the time of day, and when he pulled up his sleeve cuff, produced an old Colt revolver from his school bag and shot him point-blank in the head.

Was this politically (orange / green) motivated?

I'm not saying that a ten year old would be politically motivated, but asking if the kid was being used, sort of like the muslim kids that are used as suicide bombers.

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Originally posted by ZSMICHAEL:

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I wish he would GTFO of NOLA! At least he is close to Costco

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
The Miss. Gulf Coast is an hour drive from NOLA and a whole lot safer. What does your son do?

My cousin moved to Bay St. Louis and loves it. We have to deliver something in Gretna tonight. I HATE going anywhere close to NOLA

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Originally posted by V-Tail:

quote:

Originally posted by tacfoley:

A friend of mine, on street patrol duty in Northern Ireland, was approached by a little boy who looked, and was, ten years old. The boy asked my pal for the time of day, and when he pulled up his sleeve cuff, produced an old Colt revolver from his school bag and shot him point-blank in the head.

Was this politically (orange / green) motivated?

I'm not saying that a ten year old would be politically motivated, but asking if the kid was being used, sort of like the muslim kids that are used as suicide bombers.

I’m not sure the difference matters; the above scenarios have one thing in common- that children, even very young ones, are capable of the committing same violent acts as adults.

quote:

Originally posted by V-Tail:

quote:

Originally posted by tacfoley:

A friend of mine, on street patrol duty in Northern Ireland, was approached by a little boy who looked, and was, ten years old. The boy asked my pal for the time of day, and when he pulled up his sleeve cuff, produced an old Colt revolver from his school bag and shot him point-blank in the head.

Was this politically (orange / green) motivated?

I'm not saying that a ten year old would be politically motivated, but asking if the kid was being used, sort of like the muslim kids that are used as suicide bombers.

Yup.

His uncle, only FIVE years older than he was, had given him the gun, told him what to do, and sent him along the street to do it. He'd told him that nothing would happen to him, as the 'Brits didn't make war on children'. He didn't mention that while they didn't actually kill him, it wouldn't stop him getting beaten to a fine paste.