On the afternoon of April 7, 2026, Michael Garcia, a 41-year-old Marine Corps veteran, was struck in the head by a stray bullet during a shootout at the intersection of North Claiborne Avenue and Desire Street in New Orleans. Garcia was driving to his girlfriend’s house when the gunfire occurred; his vehicle later crashed and he was found slumped in the driver’s seat. He was taken to a nearby hospital and died about an hour later.

Friends and family described Garcia as a devoted father, a loving partner, and a well-liked bartender at Care Forgot Beercraft, which closed the day after his death. Investigators say Garcia was an innocent bystander and the shooting stemmed from a narcotics-related dispute between multiple people. Police arrested 48-year-old Terrence Leavell within hours; he admitted to firing a weapon and was charged with manslaughter, being a felon in possession of a firearm, and illegal use of weapons. Additional arrests followed: Alshawn Osama Watts, Joshua Money Emery, Caron Rondo Fortenberry, and Mi’janae Ingram were taken into custody, and a warrant was issued for Byron Dubose on second-degree murder.

Who in the neighborhood might have seen the events around North Claiborne and Desire that afternoon or can shed light on the people involved?