The New Orleans Police Department is responding to a bomb threat in the French Quarter. Decatur St. is closed from Wilkerson to Dumane. Everyone is advised to avoid the area until the situation is resolved.
According to NOPD Chief Shaun Ferguson, around 9:00 a.m., the NOPD received a call reporting a suspicious package on the curb at the intersection of Saint Anne and Decatur Streets in the French Quarter. According to Ferguson, a man claiming to be the owner of the package has been detained and has stated that there is a bomb inside. The NOPD bomb squad is currently working to determine the truth of the man’s statements.
A portion of the French Quarter, from St. Anne to Dumaine and from Decatur to St. Charles St. has been evacuated as a result of the threat.
Earlier this morning in an unrelated incident, a suspect barricaded themselves in a building located in the 500 block of Dauphine St. Ferguson reports that a man attempted to enter what he believed to be an unoccupied residence, only to be fired upon by someone within the building. The victim was able to safely retreat and notified NOPD of the situation. When NOPD arrived, the suspected perpetrator discarded his weapon and barricaded himself within the building. This situation is also ongoing.
This is an ongoing story and will be updated.
