NEW ORLEANS – New Orleans police announced at a news conference on Friday they are looking for Joseph “Moe” Allen, 32, who is thought to be one of the suspects in the shooting that wounded 17 last Sunday evening at the Bunny Friend Playground in the city’s Upper 9th Ward. Several other suspects were involved in the incident and police are asking people to provide any information they might have.
“We are working quickly and aggressively to track down everyone involved in this senseless shooting,” New Orleans police Superintendent Michael Harrison declared in a statement. “This is just the beginning, and we will not rest until we take every suspect involved off of our streets.”
Harrison called Allen an “armed and dangerous” man, as WWL-TV reported. Once located, he will face charges for 17 counts of attempted first-degree murder. He said Allen is linked to more than one violent group. Mayor Mitch Landrieu called the identified suspect to turn himself in.
Of all victims injured in the shooting, four were minors and one of them was a 10-year-old boy, according to authorities. Most of those who suffered bullet wounds are young people. Harrison told that the majority of them were in good condition on Friday, but that one or two people were being treated for critical wounds, although their lives were not in danger.
Harrison asked people to come forward with videos, photos or any other evidence to help police find out how the incident occurred at the park in the 1900 block of Gallier Street, where two groups of criminals started shooting at each other while hundreds of people were taking part in an unauthorized block party and the taping of a music video. Police are encouraging the public to call Crimestoppers at (504) 822-1111. They offered a $5,000 reward for information resulting in suspect arrests and warned of serious consequences for those who might be hiding the criminals.
According to court records, in 2009 Allen faced charges for heroin possession. He pleaded guilty and three years later received an eight-year sentence. In 2010 he was charged for home invasion but was found not guilty, among other minor charges.
Moreover, Allen once had criminal ties to Travis “Trap” Scott, who leads the 7th Ward “Frenchmen and Derbigny” gang. In 2013, Scott’s brothers were involved in a shooting on the Mother’s Day second-line parade, which resulted in no fatal victims.
Source: The New Orleans Advocate