On the evening of August 27, 2023, William Bailey III, 44, was fatally shot in the Tulane-Gravier neighborhood of New Orleans. The shooting happened at about 6 p.m. in the 2600 block of Poydras Street. Officers who responded to reports of gunfire found Bailey and a female companion inside a vehicle; Bailey had multiple gunshot wounds and was pronounced dead at the scene. The woman suffered a non-life-threatening gunshot wound and was taken to a hospital.

New Orleans Police Department Homicide detectives identified 39-year-old Bobby Smith Jr. as the primary suspect and obtained an arrest warrant charging him with second-degree murder. With help from the NOPD Special Operations Division, Smith was arrested on August 29, 2023, and booked into the Orleans Parish Justice Center. Court records noted Smith had prior charges including second-degree robbery and domestic violence abuse, and an outstanding warrant for failure to appear in November 2022 while out on bond. As of late August 2023 he remained in custody and the investigation was ongoing.

If anyone has additional information about what happened on Poydras Street that evening, contact NOPD Homicide Section detectives or Crimestoppers of Greater New Orleans.