NOPD officer on leave after shooting near Caesars Superdome
NEW ORLEANS (WGNO) — An officer with the New Orleans Police Department has been placed on administrative leave after shooting a suspect near the Caesars Superdome on Tuesday (Nov. 15) morning.
We're told the shooting happened around 7 a.m. Tuesday when police say the suspect was "occupying space" near the front entrance of the Superdome. Detectives do not believe the suspect was not trying to get inside the building.
However, the NOPD says it was when the suspect was approached by officers that he pulled out a knife and pointed it at one of the responding officers.
It was not disclosed how many shots were fired, but we do know that only one officer used his gun to shoot the man in the arm at least once. Neither the name of the suspect nor the officer was released in the early announcement of the shooting.
"Our independent monitoring team, as well as our federal monitors, are on the scene reviewing this thing," NOPD Chief Deputy Superintendent Chris Goodly said in a press conference. "Our force investigation team, through the Public Integrity Bureau, is leading the investigation."
Detectives say the investigation is still in its early stages, which will include a review of the officer's body cam footage. The video is expected to be released within the next 10 days.