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Two people were killed and five others wounded in a brazen home invasion late Friday night on a quiet cul-de-sac in the Village de l'Est neighborhood in eastern New Orleans -- the second double slaying on that street in the past two weeks.
By Saturday night, two of the victims lay in the morgue, two were in a hospital in grave condition and three others were recovering from gunshot wounds. Their identities have not been released.
On Friday shortly after 11 p.m., a pair of gunmen ambushed a small group of relatives sitting in the carport of a single-story house in the 4800 block of Savoie Court, a residential area close to Michoud Boulevard, police said.
The gunmen forced them inside and into the living room, police said. There, a total of seven relatives were clustered together and robbed. Two handguns fired several shots. No one was spared.
The victims, according to police and neighborhood residents, were a Laotian family who kept to themselves.
A woman appearing to be in her late 30s was shot once in the head and died at the house, said John Gagliano, chief investigator for the Orleans Parish coroner's office. A man apparently in his late 20s was shot several times. He also died at the scene.
"We believe this is a crime of opportunity," said Deputy Chief Marlon Defillo, a New Orleans police spokesman. Robbery appeared to be the motive, he said.
The shootings took place while police had patrols nearby, including a vehicle checkpoint on Chef Menteur Highway.
In the past two weeks, at least 19 people have died from shootings in New Orleans.
The slayings Friday night were the latest in a series of armed home invasions and robberies in eastern New Orleans. Several crews of gunmen, all using the same tactics, have robbed and shot workers -- especially Hispanic laborers -- and homeowners in the area, where many residents are rebuilding their flood-damaged homes.
Wednesday night, six Hispanic workers were rounded up and forced to lie face down on the floor in a house in the 4800 block of Nighthart Street, about two miles from Friday's shooting. The gunmen robbed the workers and shot three of them, one fatally, before fleeing.
Police have issued an arrest warrant for Anthony Martin, 27, in Wednesday's killing.
Two weeks ago, a husband and wife were both fatally shot in the head in the 4900 block of Savoie Court, about 15 doors down from Friday's slayings.
Anjelique Vu, 35, and Luong Nguyen, 38, were killed Aug. 11 inside their home. Their 2-year-old son and month-old daughter were found unharmed. Police have not connected the two slayings on Savoie Court.
The shootings Friday night took place inside a brick house on a rarely traveled street in a bustling, mostly Vietnamese community.
The house remained cordoned off Saturday, with two sport utility vehicles parked in the driveway. Neighbors drove past slowly, peering at the crime scene. The commander of the 7th Police District, who was at Savoie Court throughout the night and into midmorning, kept watch from a sedan parked across the street.
Community members and the district City Council member held a brief news conference Saturday afternoon outside the house.
The Rev. Luke Nguyen, associate pastor at Mary Queen of Vietnam Catholic Church, said the recent slayings have shaken the Village de l'Est neighborhood.
"We have to get together and put an end to these crimes," he said.
Nguyen said he did not know the family slain Friday.
Councilwoman Cynthia Willard-Lewis, who represents eastern New Orleans, vowed an aggressive effort to find the assailants. She said she had spoken with Police Superintendent Warren Riley and other leaders. "We will catch these guys," she said.
Trying to counter the more than monthlong onslaught of armed robberies and shootings in eastern New Orleans, Riley deployed an elite, plainclothes task force to patrol the community, which he described as usually "not an area where you have that type of criminal activity."
Speaking last week at a community meeting with concerned residents, Riley said he was temporarily assigning 36 additional officers to the area.
The 7th District, which encompasses the entire 100-square-mile section of the city east of the Industrial Canal, is the city's largest police district but ranks second-lowest among the eight districts in staffing. Until a few months ago, when a local businessman financed office space for the 7th District headquarters, its officers had been operating out of a group of trailers.
The push to quell armed robberies and burglaries has netted at least one notable arrest, police said. Last Sunday, police booked two men wanted in a string of 7th District robberies and burglaries.
A raid on a house in the 13900 block of Linden Street led officers to a stash of drugs and an AK-47 assault rifle. Police booked Keith Diaz, 25, on several burglary, robbery and assault charges. An alleged accomplice, Christopher Bell, 18, was arrested in Baton Rouge and booked with similar charges.
In addition, Ernest Diaz, 17; Eric Diaz, 21; Quincy Taylor, 22; and Bobby Moore, 39, were booked on drug charges in New Orleans.
Two people were killed and five others wounded in a brazen home invasion late Friday night on a quiet cul-de-sac in the Village de l'Est neighborhood in eastern New Orleans -- the second double slaying on that street in the past two weeks.
By Saturday night, two of the victims lay in the morgue, two were in a hospital in grave condition and three others were recovering from gunshot wounds. Their identities have not been released.
On Friday shortly after 11 p.m., a pair of gunmen ambushed a small group of relatives sitting in the carport of a single-story house in the 4800 block of Savoie Court, a residential area close to Michoud Boulevard, police said.
The gunmen forced them inside and into the living room, police said. There, a total of seven relatives were clustered together and robbed. Two handguns fired several shots. No one was spared.
The victims, according to police and neighborhood residents, were a Laotian family who kept to themselves.
A woman appearing to be in her late 30s was shot once in the head and died at the house, said John Gagliano, chief investigator for the Orleans Parish coroner's office. A man apparently in his late 20s was shot several times. He also died at the scene.
"We believe this is a crime of opportunity," said Deputy Chief Marlon Defillo, a New Orleans police spokesman. Robbery appeared to be the motive, he said.
The shootings took place while police had patrols nearby, including a vehicle checkpoint on Chef Menteur Highway.
In the past two weeks, at least 19 people have died from shootings in New Orleans.
The slayings Friday night were the latest in a series of armed home invasions and robberies in eastern New Orleans. Several crews of gunmen, all using the same tactics, have robbed and shot workers -- especially Hispanic laborers -- and homeowners in the area, where many residents are rebuilding their flood-damaged homes.
Wednesday night, six Hispanic workers were rounded up and forced to lie face down on the floor in a house in the 4800 block of Nighthart Street, about two miles from Friday's shooting. The gunmen robbed the workers and shot three of them, one fatally, before fleeing.
Police have issued an arrest warrant for Anthony Martin, 27, in Wednesday's killing.
Two weeks ago, a husband and wife were both fatally shot in the head in the 4900 block of Savoie Court, about 15 doors down from Friday's slayings.
Anjelique Vu, 35, and Luong Nguyen, 38, were killed Aug. 11 inside their home. Their 2-year-old son and month-old daughter were found unharmed. Police have not connected the two slayings on Savoie Court.
The shootings Friday night took place inside a brick house on a rarely traveled street in a bustling, mostly Vietnamese community.
The house remained cordoned off Saturday, with two sport utility vehicles parked in the driveway. Neighbors drove past slowly, peering at the crime scene. The commander of the 7th Police District, who was at Savoie Court throughout the night and into midmorning, kept watch from a sedan parked across the street.
Community members and the district City Council member held a brief news conference Saturday afternoon outside the house.
The Rev. Luke Nguyen, associate pastor at Mary Queen of Vietnam Catholic Church, said the recent slayings have shaken the Village de l'Est neighborhood.
"We have to get together and put an end to these crimes," he said.
Nguyen said he did not know the family slain Friday.
Councilwoman Cynthia Willard-Lewis, who represents eastern New Orleans, vowed an aggressive effort to find the assailants. She said she had spoken with Police Superintendent Warren Riley and other leaders. "We will catch these guys," she said.
Trying to counter the more than monthlong onslaught of armed robberies and shootings in eastern New Orleans, Riley deployed an elite, plainclothes task force to patrol the community, which he described as usually "not an area where you have that type of criminal activity."
Speaking last week at a community meeting with concerned residents, Riley said he was temporarily assigning 36 additional officers to the area.
The 7th District, which encompasses the entire 100-square-mile section of the city east of the Industrial Canal, is the city's largest police district but ranks second-lowest among the eight districts in staffing. Until a few months ago, when a local businessman financed office space for the 7th District headquarters, its officers had been operating out of a group of trailers.
The push to quell armed robberies and burglaries has netted at least one notable arrest, police said. Last Sunday, police booked two men wanted in a string of 7th District robberies and burglaries.
A raid on a house in the 13900 block of Linden Street led officers to a stash of drugs and an AK-47 assault rifle. Police booked Keith Diaz, 25, on several burglary, robbery and assault charges. An alleged accomplice, Christopher Bell, 18, was arrested in Baton Rouge and booked with similar charges.
In addition, Ernest Diaz, 17; Eric Diaz, 21; Quincy Taylor, 22; and Bobby Moore, 39, were booked on drug charges in New Orleans.