Michael Garcia, 41, was killed on Tuesday, April 7, 2026, when a stray bullet struck him while he was driving near North Claiborne Avenue and Desire Street in New Orleans. Police who responded to reports of gunfire and a car crash found him slumped over in the driver’s seat with a gunshot wound to the head; he was transported to a nearby hospital and died about an hour later.

Garcia was a 20-year Marine veteran and a well-known bartender in the local craft beer scene. Friends and neighbors remembered him as a kind, community-minded man who hosted neighborhood crawfish boils and loved Mardi Gras costumes. Investigators say a shootout erupted between individuals in two other vehicles, and Garcia was an innocent bystander caught in the crossfire.

Police identified and arrested 48-year-old Terrence Leavell, a convicted felon on parole, and charged him with manslaughter and illegal possession of a firearm. Leavell reportedly claimed he fired in self-defense, saying people in an SUV had threatened his nephew; a handgun was recovered from his home. If anyone witnessed the shooting or knew Michael, please share what you know.