On a tragic evening in New Orleans on November 14, 2013, Deshawn Butler, a 25-year-old African American male, was shot and killed in what police believe was a gang-related ambush. The fatal incident also claimed the life of his 7-month-old son, Deshawn Kinard, who was in the car with him. Butler was a passenger in a vehicle being driven by his girlfriend, Amy Kinard, near the Crescent City Connection bridge when another vehicle pulled alongside and opened fire.
Butler was pronounced dead at the scene, while his infant son was rushed to a nearby hospital where he later died from his injuries. Kinard and another female passenger in the front seat were unharmed.
The shooting unfolded as Kinard was driving with Butler and their son in the backseat. Butler suddenly urged her to speed up and get onto the bridge, apparently aware they were being pursued. A dark-colored SUV then approached their car, and gunfire erupted, shattering the back window. The New Orleans Police Department stated that the shooting did not appear to be a random act of violence.
Authorities later identified Butler as a member of the Fischer Fools gang and suggested the shooting was the result of a feud with a rival gang known as the Hot Blocks. In the wake of the double homicide, the community expressed its shock and grief over the violent deaths of a father and his young child.
Following an investigation into the deadly shooting, the New Orleans Police Department made two arrests. Kevin Thomas, 23, and Isaac Pierre, 20, were taken into custody and subsequently booked on two counts of first-degree murder for the deaths of Deshawn Butler and his infant son.
