Officers found both victims on North Johnson Street and later reported each died at the scene; no arrests announced.
NEW ORLEANS — Two men were found with gunshot wounds Sunday in the Tulane-Gravier neighborhood, where police responded to reports of a shooting shortly before 5:30 p.m. on the 100 block of North Johnson Street near Canal Street, authorities said.
Police initially reported one person was dead and another was taken to a hospital. Later Sunday, emergency responders confirmed both victims were pronounced dead at the scene. The Orleans Parish Coroner will identify the men after notifying relatives. Detectives from the New Orleans Police Department’s homicide unit are leading the investigation and have not announced arrests or named a suspect. Officers said items believed to be illegal drugs were found nearby, a detail investigators are reviewing as they piece together what led to the gunfire.
Officers arrived to the North Johnson Street block after 911 callers reported shots fired in the area. Patrol units and EMS converged near Johnson and Canal, a busy Mid-City corridor, and located two adult men on the pavement with apparent gunshot wounds. “New Orleans Police are investigating a double homicide,” the department said in a statement issued Sunday evening. The initial update from authorities said one man died and the other was taken for treatment. EMS later told police both were dead at the scene. Detectives canvassed the block for witnesses and collected shell casings and other physical evidence as dusk fell.
Investigators said they recovered a quantity of suspected narcotics within the crime scene perimeter and documented the location before removing it for analysis. Police did not say how many rounds were fired, what caliber weapons may have been used, or whether the victims were targeted. No information about a possible vehicle or direction of flight was released. The department said the coroner will determine the causes and manner of death after autopsies. The names and ages of the victims remain unknown pending family notification. Officers also reviewed nearby cameras in the Tulane-Gravier area, which includes blocks of Canal Street lined with small businesses and medical facilities.
Sunday’s shooting was the latest fatal violence reported in Mid-City’s Tulane-Gravier section, an area that sits between University Medical Center and the Lafitte Greenway. Police logs in recent months have noted sporadic gunfire calls along Canal and adjacent side streets. While officials have touted longer-term declines in some categories of violent crime citywide, detectives say individual shootings can still cluster, sometimes linked to disputes, narcotics activity, or prior conflicts. The neighborhood’s mix of residences, clinics, and surface parking lots often draws evening foot traffic, making gunfire there a priority for patrols and city camera operators.
Detectives with the homicide unit processed the scene into the evening and will continue interviews of witnesses and nearby workers. As of Monday, no arrests had been announced and no motive was publicly identified. The department said the coroner’s office will release the victims’ names after notifying families. Autopsy findings are expected to confirm the number of wounds, range of fire, and potential evidence of close contact. Police said any surveillance video gathered along North Johnson and Canal will be reviewed and logged as part of the case file. The investigation remains open, with updates to be provided by NOPD as they become available.
Neighbors described a quick surge of police cars and ambulances after the shots. A store clerk who asked not to be named said the block went quiet as officers taped off the intersection and ushered bystanders back. Another passerby said he watched detectives place dozens of evidence markers near the curb before floodlights illuminated the street. “It got real still out here,” he said, noting traffic on Canal Street was briefly rerouted while investigators worked. Police declined to release details about any prior calls for service involving the men found on the ground, citing the active investigation.
As of late Tuesday, police said the investigation was continuing with no suspects publicly identified and the victims not yet named by the coroner. The next expected update is the release of the men’s identities after family notification, followed by autopsy rulings on cause and manner of death. Detectives also are evaluating lab results on items collected at the scene and have asked anyone with information to contact the homicide unit or submit tips through Crimestoppers.
Author note: Last updated November 19, 2025.