A deadly, targeted shooting outside a historic New Orleans restaurant left a 19-year-old man dead and three others wounded — and now Crimestoppers has doubled the reward for information leading to the gunman’s arrest.
The shooting happened around 8 p.m. Friday at Dooky Chase Restaurant on Orleans Avenue in Tremé, according to the New Orleans Police Department. Authorities say the 19-year-old victim ran into the 85-year-old civil rights landmark while someone else was shooting at him. He then collapsed inside.
He was identified by his family as Kareem Harris, a 2024 graduate of New Orleans’ Livingston Collegiate Academy, his sister told FOX8.
NOPD Superintendent Anne Kirkpatrick said the incident was a targeted attack on a known individual, not the restaurant or its patrons.
“The person who was the target simply ran into the restaurant where he collapsed,” Kirkpatrick said. “So unfortunately the perpetrator continued to shoot, so innocent bystanders who were patrons were actually hit, but they are in no way targets nor was this restaurant.”
Three women, who police say were visiting New Orleans, were also shot. Two are in critical condition, including one who underwent surgery, and a third is in stable condition.
“They were inside but not inside the restaurant, waiting to be seated or picked up by an Uber or something,” Kirkpatrick said. “There is a door that closes between the foyer and dining area, that door was closed at the time.”
Dooky Chase began as a sandwich shop before evolving into one of New Orleans’ most significant cultural and political landmarks.
It became a gathering place and refuge for musicians, entertainers, activists, and community leaders through the civil rights movement. In the 1960s, the restaurant opened its doors to Martin Luther King Jr. and other activists and local leaders who would meet for strategy sessions, solidifying the restaurant’s role in the civil rights movement.
In later years, the restaurant welcomed presidents including George W. Bush and Barack Obama, who famously drew the ire of Chef Leah Chase after putting hot sauce on her gumbo during a 2008 campaign stop.
Chase, dubbed the “Queen of Creole Cuisine,” died in 2019 at 96 years old. She received several awards for her culinary impact and civil rights work, including a James Beard Lifetime Achievement Award.
The suspect in Friday’s shooting was described as an African American man wearing a black hooded sweatshirt. Investigators said he briefly left the scene, returned, and then fled into the neighborhood. Kirkpatrick said police have surveillance video of the suspect and the shooting and urged residents to review their own footage.
“It is unfortunate that all of our victims, other than the decedent are visitors to our city,” Kirkpatrick said. “We’re so sorry for that because, that’s not who we are. We are a safer and safer city. We are a city that wants to welcome all of our visitors, but it is unfortunate that they were visitors to our city.”
Harris, the victim, was declared dead at the scene, authorities said, not far from his home in the historic Tremé neighborhood.
“Our victim is from this neighborhood,” Kirkpatrick said. “His family is here, of course we express condolences, no matter what the circumstances.”
Mayor Helena Moreno and other city leaders responded to the scene Friday night. Moreno emphasized that the restaurant was not the intended target.
”During the 85 years, this restaurant has been established here, that there’s never been any type of incident like this,” Moreno said. “So this was a very targeted event toward one person.”
“I have spoken with the owners of the restaurant, along with the staff, and obviously this has been a very traumatic situation,” Moreno added. “I have offered the support of myself along with my administration, along with the New Orleans Police Department.”
No arrests have been made as of Saturday afternoon.
A reward for tips leading to an arrest was increased from $2,500 to $5,000, according to Crimestoppers President Darlene Cusanza.
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