In the late spring of 2017, a 33-year-old man named James McBride went to his job as a Loomis armored truck guard in New Orleans, a city teeming with life and history. His day, however, was destined to end in a burst of violence that would cut his life short. On May 31st, while McBride and his fellow guards were servicing an ATM at the Campus Federal Credit Union on Tulane Avenue, they were ambushed in a brazen armed robbery attempt.
The air was suddenly filled with the terrifying sound of gunfire as a shootout erupted between the guards and their assailants. In the chaos, McBride was struck by a bullet. Although it was later determined that the fatal shot was fired from a co-worker's weapon during the violent exchange, the responsibility for his death lay squarely with the men who orchestrated the dangerous confrontation.
The subsequent investigation by the New Orleans Police Department and the FBI unraveled a conspiracy that led them to a father and son, Armstead and Jerome Kieffer, and their accomplice, Deltoine Scott. It was revealed that this was not their first foray into such violent crime, as they were also connected to a previous armored car robbery in 2015. The trio had meticulously planned the 2017 robbery, with the son, Jerome, having rented an apartment with a view of the credit union to surveil the armored car's routine. On the day of the fatal robbery attempt, his father, Armstead, acted as a lookout.
The wheels of justice turned for James McBride as the three men were apprehended and brought to trial. Deltoine Scott chose to cooperate with the authorities, pleading guilty and testifying against his co-conspirators. In January 2019, he was sentenced to over 16 years in federal prison for his role in the crime. Following a trial in federal court, both Jerome and Armstead Kieffer were convicted for their parts in the robbery that led to McBride's death. In March 2019, the father and son were each sentenced to life in prison, ensuring that the men responsible for the violent death of James McBride would be held accountable for their actions.
