On the evening of January 16, 2026, 19-year-old Kareem Harris was shot and killed in the foyer of Dooky Chase’s Restaurant on Orleans Avenue. According to reports, an armed person pursued Harris into the restaurant’s entrance and opened fire, fatally wounding him. Three other people waiting in the foyer were also struck; two were hospitalized in critical condition. The attack was captured on video and forced the historic restaurant to close for the weekend.

Harris had recently graduated from Livingston Collegiate Academy and had briefly worked at the restaurant. Family and friends held a green balloon release in his memory, describing him as a good kid with a joking personality. The New Orleans Police Department has called the shooting a targeted attack on Harris; investigators have questioned people, canvassed the neighborhood where his family lives, and offered a substantial reward, but no arrests or public identifications of a suspect or motive have been announced.

Did anyone witness the pursuit into the restaurant or see someone leaving the area around the time of the shooting?