Milan Domonique Arriola, a 20-year-old African American woman, was fatally shot in New Orleans, Louisiana, on Friday, July 3, 2015. The incident occurred in the Gentilly neighborhood as Arriola was riding in the front passenger seat of a Chevrolet Camaro. Several bullets struck the side of the car where she was seated, and she later died from her injuries at a hospital.
The shooting was not a random act of violence; authorities believe the intended target was her companion, who was driving the car.
The case drew significant attention due to Arriola's family connections. Her mother was a New Orleans police officer, her father was a captain in the New Orleans Fire Department, and her uncle is the renowned jazz trumpeter Kermit Ruffins. Following the shooting, the community and city officials expressed their grief and condolences, with a candlelight vigil held in her memory at the site of the shooting.
The investigation into her death led to the arrests of two men, Will Reed, 20, and Jaleel Broadway, 23. They were initially charged with second-degree murder. Investigators determined that the two were involved in a conspiracy to commit the crime, with the target being Arriola's companion. In 2018, both Reed and Broadway pleaded guilty to the lesser charge of conspiracy to commit second-degree murder and were sentenced to 20 years in prison.
In a later development, Jaleel Broadway was shot and killed in New Orleans in April 2022. He had been released from prison in November 2021 after serving a portion of his sentence.
