Joseph Michael Lee Sr., 26, was shot and killed in New Orleans on Tuesday night, June 24, 2025. The shooting happened shortly after 10:15 p.m. on the 2400 block of Pauger Street in the 7th Ward. Lee was privately transported to a nearby hospital but was pronounced dead; the Orleans Parish Coroner’s Office later identified him.

A lifelong New Orleans resident, Lee worked as a chef at Boil Seafood House and Russell’s Marina Grill. He is remembered by family as a father to his son Joseph Jr., a fiancé, and someone who enjoyed cooking, basketball, wrestling with family, and video games. Homicide detectives canvassed the area after the shooting and asked the public for information, but no motive or suspect information has been released and no arrests have been announced.

Anyone with information about what happened that night on Pauger Street is asked to come forward.