St. Bernard Sheriff James Pohlmann said two New Orleans women were injured when a New Orleans man opened fire on a vehicle they were traveling in during the early morning hours of Sunday, May 21 near the St. Bernard/Orleans parish line in Arabi. A third female involved in the incident, who was a passenger in the vehicle shot at, was not injured, he said.
The incident, which Sheriff Pohlmann said is not believed to be random, is suspected to be retaliatory with the vehicle the women were riding in as the target. The investigation is ongoing and additional arrests may be made, he said.
Davonte Dejean, 24, of the 4600 block of MacArthur Boulevard in New Orleans, was booked with three counts of attempted first degree murder for firing several rounds at the car occupied by the three females.
The driver, 17, was grazed in her hand by a bullet, and the front seat passenger, 18, was hit with bullet fragments in the upper rear torso area. The rear passenger, 18, was not injured. Sheriff Pohlmann said the two women who were injured were taken to St. Bernard Parish Hospital where they were treated and released. None of the injuries sustained were life threatening, he said.
Shortly after midnight on May 21, Sheriff Pohlmann said, the three females were driving from the Ninth Ward in New Orleans, headed eastbound on St. Claude Avenue. The driver said they were headed to eastern New Orleans but decided to take a different route so she made a u-turn at the intersection of St. Claude and Mehle avenues. It was then, the females said, that a dark in color 2004 Infiniti FX SUV with dark tinted windows, later determined to be driven by Dejean, pulled next to their vehicle and began shooting at them, firing several rounds and injuring two of them.
Dejean fled the scene but was apprehended the next day on Monday, May 22, following a traffic stop made by Jefferson Parish deputies on the West Bank.
The Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office assisted the St. Bernard Sheriff’s Office in getting a search warrant for Dejean’s car, which resulted in Dejean also being booked with possession with the intent to distribute crack cocaine and possession of a firearm while in possession of a controlled dangerous substance. A .40 caliber glock handgun, believed to be used in the shooting, also was recovered. The New Orleans Police Department also assisted in Dejean’s apprehension.
Dejean was transported to St. Bernard Parish Prison to be booked. He is being held in lieu of $200,000 bond.
