In a hail of bullets on a Sunday afternoon in April 2020, Glynn McCormick, 33, was shot and killed in the Treme neighborhood of New Orleans. The scene of the brazen daylight murder was the very turf where he was alleged to have led the notorious 'D-Block' drug gang, an area near Dumaine and Broad streets. When he was struck by the barrage of gunfire, McCormick was wearing a blood-splattered ankle monitor, a stark symbol of his recent and short-lived freedom.
Just four days prior to his
violent death, McCormick had been released from jail. He had been awaiting trial on drug racketeering charges with his bail originally set at $1 million. That amount was first reduced to $150,000 and then, in a telephone hearing, a judge granted his release on his own recognizance due to the COVID-19 pandemic. His only restriction was a curfew from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. at his home on the West Bank.
Despite the stay-at-home order in effect throughout New Orleans, electronic monitoring data revealed that immediately following his release, McCormick traveled not to his residence but directly to his old stomping grounds in the Treme. This decision proved to be a fatal one. His murder, which occurred in broad daylight, sent shockwaves through the city and raised questions about the decision to release him. The district attorney publicly criticized the judge's order, stating that McCormick's violent death was 'completely avoidable' and that the shooting posed an extreme danger to the surrounding neighborhood. While the circumstances of his release were highly publicized, details regarding any suspects or arrests in connection with his murder have not been made available.
