They were waiting for a table at a famed New Orleans restaurant. Minutes later, according to police, three tourists were bleeding on the foyer floor, hit by bullets that were not meant for them, while the gunman disappeared back into the night.
What Police Say Happened
On a recent Friday evening in New Orleans, a 19-year-old man was chased along a city street and shot at, then ran into the entrance of Dooky Chase’s Restaurant in an apparent attempt to get away from the gunfire.
New Orleans Police Superintendent Anne Kirkpatrick described the sequence in a briefing reported by Fox News. She said the shooting began shortly after 8 p.m., when the teenager was pursued and fired upon outside.
The young man fled into the foyer of Dooky Chase’s. The restaurant was crowded. Three people who had come to eat there, all women visiting from out of town, were struck while waiting for a table, according to Kirkpatrick.
Police say the 19-year-old who ran into the restaurant was the intended target. He was fatally wounded. Fox News, citing local station WVUE, identified him as 19-year-old Kareem Harris. As of the information contained in those reports, authorities had not publicly detailed his movements before the chase or any prior threats.
All three bystanders were tourists, according to Kirkpatrick. Two were friends visiting from Los Angeles. The third was visiting from Florida.
Who Was Hurt, And How Badly
Superintendent Kirkpatrick told reporters that one of the women from Los Angeles was shot about five times. Fox News reported that she underwent several surgeries. Her friend was also shot, required surgery, and was described as being in stable condition.
The visitor from Florida was also shot. According to the same reporting, she was treated at a hospital and later discharged.
Authorities have not publicly released the names of the three tourists. There has been no official update in the available reporting about their long-term recovery, potential lasting injuries, or whether any of them plan to pursue legal action.
What is clear from the police account is that none of the three women were believed to be targets. They were described as bystanders who happened to be standing near the entrance when the 19-year-old ran inside and the gunfire followed.
One Suspected Shooter, No Arrest Reported
Police investigators told Fox News that they believe one person fired the shots. At the same time, they have said that others might also have been involved. As of the latest public statements reflected in that reporting, no one had been arrested.
Kirkpatrick said Harris appeared to be the intended victim and described the incident as a likely act of retaliation. She said it appeared to be a “retaliatory type of shooting,” but added that the precise motive remained unclear.
That leaves several major questions unanswered. Officials have not publicly detailed what the shooting might have been retaliation for. They have not said whether Harris was armed. They have not released a description of the suspected shooter beyond stating that they believe there was one, and that person had not been located.
There is also no public information in the cited coverage about surveillance footage, ballistics evidence, or witness descriptions that might narrow the search. For now, members of the public must rely on the limited details police have chosen to release.
A Civil Rights Landmark Pulled Into Gunfire
Dooky Chase’s Restaurant holds a singular place in New Orleans life. It is widely known for its Creole food and for its history as a meeting place for Civil Rights leaders. Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama both dined there while in office, according to Fox News’ reporting.
In the wake of the shooting, the restaurant’s owners issued a public statement that was shared in multiple news accounts. The Chase family said, “We are deeply grateful for the outpouring of love and support for our guests, staff, family, and our historic restaurant during this difficult time, and we lift up in prayer all those impacted by this random and tragic incident.”
The statement underscored two parallel truths. First, the restaurant is a historic institution that has drawn diners from around the world for decades. Second, that status did not shield its staff or guests from the risk of gun violence that New Orleans residents confront far from tourist corridors.
Officials have not alleged that the restaurant or its staff had any connection to the conflict that preceded the gunfire. Based on public statements, Dooky Chase’s appears to have been what the family called it. A place where a “random” convergence of events turned a normal Friday dinner service into a crime scene.
Bystanders And The Geography Of Gun Violence
This shooting fits a larger pattern that national data has documented. People who are not the intended target are often wounded or killed when gunfire erupts in public spaces.
Nationally, firearms are a leading cause of injury and death, particularly among young people, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The CDC reports that tens of thousands of people are killed with firearms in the United States each year, and many more are injured, across homicides, suicides, and unintentional shootings. General data and background information are available through the CDC’s firearm injury prevention resources at cdc.gov/firearms.
City-level crime statistics show that gun violence clusters in certain neighborhoods and social networks. Those patterns have been documented for years in federal crime data compiled by the FBI, which provides national and local statistics on violent crime at fbi.gov. The New Orleans case illustrates how that violence can spill into spaces that are globally recognized and heavily visited.
What the public record does not yet fully explain is how a conflict that police describe as retaliatory reached the doors of one of the city’s most prominent restaurants, and what warning signs, if any, preceded it.
What Remains Unclear
Based on the information in the available reporting, several central facts are established.
Item 1: A 19-year-old identified as Kareem Harris was chased and shot, ran into Dooky Chase’s Restaurant, and died from his injuries.
Item 2: Three women visiting New Orleans, two from Los Angeles and one from Florida, were struck by gunfire while waiting for a table.
Item 3: Police say they believe a single shooter targeted Harris in what appears to be a retaliatory incident, and that the shooter had not been arrested at the time of the statements reported.
Much else is either unknown or has not been shared publicly. Authorities have not provided a detailed account of the earlier events that might explain the shooting. They have not disclosed whether there were prior police contacts related to any dispute involving Harris. They have not confirmed whether anyone other than the three tourists was injured inside the restaurant.
For the three visitors caught in the crossfire, and for a restaurant with a long Civil Rights legacy, the immediate consequences are clear. For everyone else who relies on official information to understand how and why this happened, the picture is still incomplete.
