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NOPD Officer Shot In French Quarter

Aubri Juhasz
/
WWNO

A New Orleans Police Department officer was shot in the face by a man in the back of a pedicab Friday afternoon in the French Quarter.

NOPD Superintendent Shaun Ferguson described the shooting as an "ambush" and said the unnamed officer, a four-year veteran of the force, is in "serious but stable condition" at University Medical Center.

The shooting happened near St. Phillip and Royal Streets at around 4:30 p.m. Police say there was "no interaction" between the shooter and police prior to the shooting.

NOPD Superintendent Shaun Ferguson address reporters after the shooting of an officer in the French Quarter Friday afternoon.
Credit Aubri Juhasz / WWNO
/
WWNO
NOPD Superintendent Shaun Ferguson address reporters after the shooting of an officer in the French Quarter Friday afternoon.

A pair of officers were in their patrol car when the gunman opened fire. One of the officers was shot right under his left eye; the bullet is lodged in his skull. The other officer in the car suffered minor injuries after being grazed by shards of broken glass.

The man who police say shot at the officers was arrested nearby and was in some form of "medical distress," according to Ferguson. The man was taken to the hospital by police.

The superintendent says the officer who was shot in the face was responsive when he arrived at the hospital and able to walk unassisted into the building.

Police say a firearm was located near the shooting but did not specify how many bullets were fired. The individual arrested was wearing an empty holster.

Ferguson said the individual arrested refused to share his identify with the police.

Copyright 2020 WWNO - New Orleans Public Radio

Aubri Juhasz is a news assistant for NPR's All Things Considered.
Aubri Juhasz
Aubri Juhasz is the education reporter for New Orleans Public Radio. Before coming to New Orleans, she was a producer for National Public Radio’s All Things Considered. She helped lead the show's technology and book coverage and reported her own feature stories, including the surge in cycling deaths in New York City and the decision by some states to offer competitive video gaming to high school students as an extracurricular activity.