The 33-year-old woman fatally shot early Thursday (May 16) at the Clover Grill on Bourbon Street was trying to prevent the gunman from approaching her and another person when the gun went off, according to an arrest warrant.
Alexander Kirby, 33, the accused shooter, was arrested minutes after the shooting, police said. He was booked around 5:45 a.m. and charged with second-degree murder and aggravated assault with a firearm, jail records show. Kirby was the woman’s ex-boyfriend, according to a police source with direct knowledge of the investigation who was not authorized to speak publicly.
Authorities have not identified the woman who was killed.
New Orleans police first reported a woman was fatally shot around 12:15 a.m. in the 900 Bourbon Street. A spokeswoman for Clover Grill later confirmed the shooting occurred in the restaurant’s courtyard.
After viewing surveillance footage, investigators saw a man, later identified as Kirby, approach the area where the 33-year-old woman and another person were standing. Kirby took a firearm out, pointed it at the other person and “approached them menacingly,” the warrant said.
Clover Grill waitress killed in Bourbon Street shooting, neighbor says
The 33-year-old woman tried to intervene, moving between Kirby and the other person when “a physical struggle ensued,” police said. During the struggle, “the firearm discharged” and the 33-year-old woman was shot in the head.
Kirby tried to run away, but NOPD officers arrested him minutes later, according to court documents. The woman was taken to the hospital and pronounced dead.
In an interview with police, the other victim identified Kirby as the man who had approached and pointed the gun, according to court documents. The other victim had known Kirby for several months, police said. Detectives showed them a photographic lineup and the victim positively identified Kirby.
NOPD said Louisiana State Police troopers and French Quarter Task Force officers immediately detained Kirby for questioning after the shooting.
Kirby was scheduled to appear in Orleans Magistrate Court Thursday afternoon for a preliminary hearing but was not transported from jail because of a “medical reason," said Orleans Parish Magistrate Commissioner Jonathan Friedman. Kirby’s hearing was rescheduled for tomorrow and a hearing to determine counsel was scheduled for May 23.
Friedman set Kirby’s bond at $600,000 and appointed him a public defender.
Court records show that in Kirby entered a court-ordered diversion program in 2010 in connection with drug charges, including possession with intent to distribute marijuana and possession with intent to distribute psilocyn, a hallucinogenic substance.
Around 2 p.m. outside the Clover Grill, more than a dozen bouquets of roses and mums rested on a windowsill out front. Passersby slowed to look at a photo of the 33-year-old woman killed posted in the window before walking on.
More than a dozen bouquets of multicolored roses and mums rested on the windowsill of Clover Grill, about 14 hours after a woman was fatally shot at the French Quarter diner. Passersby slowed as they strolled past, peering at the woman’s photo posted in the window. pic.twitter.com/TszWEpfKO7
— Olivia Prentzel (@olivepretzel) May 16, 2019
Olivia Prentzel covers breaking news and criminal justice for NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune. Reach her at oprentzel@nola.com or find her on Twitter @olivepretzel.
Staff reporter Emily Lane contributed to this story.
via nola.comhttps://www.nola.com
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