Second suspect caught in deadly Bourbon Street shooting
NEW ORLEANS -- A second suspect in the Bourbon Street shooting that left one person dead and nine others injured was arrested on Friday.
Acting on information gathered in the investigation, Louisiana State Police found and arrested Kavon Manuel, 20, at a home in the Lafayette area.
Manuel will be extradited to New Orleans to face a charge of second-degree murder and nine counts of attempted murder, New Orleans police said in a news release.
The arrest comes after New Orleans Police Chief Michael Harrison, New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu and state and federal law enforcement announced the Thursday night arrest of Jordan Clay, 20, as the other suspect in the incident.
Harrison said Clay and Manuel had an ongoing dispute and just happened to run into each other early Sunday on Bourbon Street.
Killed in the cross fire was Demontris Toliver, 25, of Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The surviving victims included seven men and two women, ranging in age from 20 to 37. Police said none of the wounded had life-threatening injuries.
“We made a promise to track down the suspects responsible and bring them to justice, and together, we made good on that promise,” Harrison said. “I want to thank the Louisiana State Police, FBI, ATF and Lafayette Police Department for providing the resources we needed to get the job done.”
It wasn’t immediately known if either Clay or Manuel had a lawyer.
The French Quarter shooting erupted hours after Saturday’s annual Bayou Classic football between Southern University and Grambling State University - and the tourist district was bustling with visitors after the Thanksgiving holiday.
Harrison said the shooting, which occurred about 1:30 a.m. Sunday, had nothing to do with the classic matchup. He also said that between 30 and 40 police officers and EMS crews were in the district then and responded quickly.
Landrieu praised that fast response Friday. Speaking at a news conference, he also said the shooters showed “a complete disregard for the lives of those around them.”
Toliver’s father Kim appeared at the news conference and held up pictures of his son. He asked “each and every one of y’all to keep us in your prayers,” saying that he has lost “a part of my life.”
Demontris Toliver was a tattoo artist and a New Orleans native.