“NOLA’s Downtown Development District Tied to Bus Stop Mass Shooting”

It was a quiet Sunday evening on February 17, 2019, when a police-involved shooting erupted at a bus stop near Canal & Elk streets in the CBD.

New Orleans police detectives called for assistance from two uniformed police officers in a marked unit to question 32-year-old robbery suspect, Reginald Bursey. In attempting to stop Bursey that night, a gunfight quickly ensued, which left the suspect dead and five bystanders shot. So far, NOPD Chief Shaun Ferguson has indicated that two bystanders were shot by Bursey and the other three most likely accidentally shot by officers.

Now, information has been obtained by “The NOLA Tabloid” that the uniformed officers were working a paid detail for the Downtown Development District at the time and also shot Bursey in the melee. According to a source, who “The NOLA Tabloid” will not identify, Ryan Burkett, a supervisor with the Downtown Development District’s Ranger program, said that Officer Brandon Anderson shot Bursey while on detail for the DDD. In doing so, Anderson may have also mistakenly shot one or more bystanders, opening up the City & DDD to possible civil liability and lawsuits.

The unnamed source claims that Burkett said that Anderson was training another detail officer that night, later identified as Amit Bidichandani, when they decided to answer the call for backup. In surveillance camera video that was released, Bursey was only a few feet away when he shot at but missed Bidichandani on the sidewalk. Anderson can be seen shooting at Bursey, who fled on foot seemingly unharmed from Canal Street towards Tulane Medical Center. Now, it appears that Bursey may have been seriously wounded by Anderson before fleeing.

This is the first piece of corroborated information that in fact Anderson believes he shot Bursey in the exchange, as the local media has reported only that Bursey was later killed by an unnamed responding State Police trooper on Tulane Avenue.

Was Bursey really shot and injured by Anderson before being fatally shot by State Police? How many bystanders, if any, were shot by Anderson? Will the Downtown Development District become a co-defendant in any pending litigation?

What do you think? “KNOW THE NOLA!” Be sure to like, comment & share! Like on Facebook & Follow on Twitter @thenolatabloid