Mandina's Restaurant Shooting: Friend of WXRT DJ Terri Hemmert among victims
CHICAGO (CBS) -- A shooting outside a well known New Orleans restaurant left a young woman dead and wounded another woman celebrating the birthday of WXRT legend Terri Hemmert, who also was nearly hit by a bullet.
The deadly shooting happened Friday night, just as the city's Jazz Fest was getting underway. While the gunmen remain at large, Hemmert is now shedding light on what happened -- and revealing she could have been killed.
New Orleans Police say bullets started flying outside the legendary Mandina's Restaurant Friday evening as patrons were dining.
The victim, who investigators said was targeted, was identified as 23-year-old Hilbert Walker III, a waiter at the restaurant.
Police said Walker was serving customers when a car pulled up and two people got out and shot him multiple times.
One of those bullets went through the restaurant wall and hit a Chicago woman inside in the back.
Over the weekend, Hemmert posted on Facebook that the woman was among 28 friends in New Orleans celebrating her birthday.
Hemmert described the shooting as traumatic. She said a bullet hit a wall two inches from her head.
She also lashed out at the rise in gun violence across the country, saying "as long as we refuse to do something about this epidemic, we are not safe and neither are you."
Police are still investigating the shooting.
No arrests have been made.
"We want to offer our condolences to the victims of this heinous incident," said New Orleans Police Department Interim Supt. Michelle Woodfork. "You know we are doing everything in our power to make sure incidents like these don't happen."
Hemmert's friend, who has not been identified, is currently recovering. According to the radio host, she is expected to be OK.
