Gerard Poole

Gerard Michael Poole was a 23-year-old professional cook with a dream of owning his own business, a cherished husband, and a devoted father to two young children. Those who loved him remember a "happy, easy-going" man who always put his family first. He and his wife, Kenisha Brown Poole, were high school sweethearts who had been together since they were teenagers and had married just the year before his death. Gerard was a doting father to their son, Gerard Poole Jr., 3, and their daughter, Gabrielle Michelle Poole, 2. His wife later said, "He loved them to death. There was nothing he wouldn't do for them."

Gerard was building a life for his family in his native New Orleans, Louisiana. He had honed his skills as a cook in fine dining establishments, most recently at Tommy's Cuisine, a Creole-Italian restaurant in the Central Business District. But he had bigger plans. The day before he was killed, Gerard was at his aunt’s house watching the New Orleans Saints playoff game, excitedly discussing his next career move. He and his aunt, Cynthia P. Honore Collins, were making concrete plans to buy a food truck. He had already arranged a meeting to get a cost estimate for a fully equipped vehicle. He was considering a menu that might include hot dogs with his own homemade chili, a testament to his love for cooking from scratch, like the file gumbo he made for his family on Christmas.

The dream of a food truck came to an abrupt and violent end on the evening of Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Monday, January 15, 2018. At about 6:20 p.m., officers with the New Orleans Police Department responded to a call in the Leonidas neighborhood. They found Gerard Poole lying on his back near a stop sign at the corner of Hickory and Monroe streets, not far from the home he shared with his wife and children. He had been shot multiple times. His aunt was told he was struck in the face and several other times. Police placed at least 20 evidence cones at the scene, marking the shell casings and other evidence left behind in the attack. Gerard Poole, a Black man, was pronounced dead at the scene.

The family was left reeling and searching for answers. "He was always with us," his widow Kenisha said. "Always with family. I can't see how somebody would do this." His aunt recalled the recent Christmas holiday, when Gerard had dressed up as Santa Claus for his children, complete with a padded belly. She remembered him cooking "all kinds of little stuff" for family gatherings. He was a member of First Grace United Methodist Church on Canal Street. The family was so devastated by the violent nature of his death that they did not believe an open-casket funeral would be possible.

The New Orleans Police Department opened a homicide investigation into Gerard’s murder. The Orleans Parish Coroner's Office officially identified him the following day. Homicide Detective Robert Barrere was assigned to the case and the department asked for the public’s help. A motive for the shooting has never been publicly released, and no information about potential suspects has been announced.

Years have passed, and the case of who killed Gerard Poole remains unsolved. His children have grown up without their father, and his wife and extended family are left with the memories of a loving man and the painful questions surrounding his death. The family's plans to help him launch his food truck were tragically replaced with arrangements for his funeral. As of the last available reports, no arrests have been made, and the investigation is ongoing. Anyone with information about the shooting death of Gerard Poole is asked to contact NOPD Homicide Detective Robert Barrere at 504-658-5300 or to leave an anonymous tip with Crimestoppers at 504-822-1111.