09 Dec 2009 | The Times-Picayune
Man murdered in Treme
December 09, 2009, 7:30AM
The man, whose name wasn’t immediately available, died in front of the abandoned B.J.‘s Restaurant and Daiquiri Shop in the 1500 block of Basin Street, next to Robertson’s Vieux Carre Lounge. Someone shot him multiple times, apparently at least once in the head, said officer Garry Flot, an NOPD spokesman.
Emergency operators received a 911 call about a shooting at 5:53 a.m., Flot said. Responding police officers found the man sprawled out on the wet ground, lying face up, under B.J.’s sign.
New Orleans EMS paramedics arrived behind the officers, but the man died before they could treat him, said John Gagliano, the coroner’s chief investigator.
Police didn’t announce any suspects or a motive in the slaying Wednesday. The victim spent about 90 minutes hanging out with patrons inside Robertson’s lounge before the fatal attack, which happened shortly after he left, said an employee who answered a telephone call to the bar but didn’t wish to be named.
Bar managers were unaware of any arguments the man may have had that could have led to his slaying, according to the employee.
The victim’s shoes rest by three ankle-high cones, typically placed near spent shell casings. None were more than five feet away from him.
Only a handful of people gathered at the corner of North Robertson and Basin streets to observe officers process the crime scene.
Several drivers turned onto Basin from North Robertson, slowed their cars and casually peered over at the commotion. They appeared startled when they realized that they were looking at a man’s corpse, unblocked for a period from their vantage point, and they sped away.
Ramon Antonio Vargas can be reached at rvargas@timespicayune.com or 504.826.3371.