Bullseye on Bourbon

Black and white...and red: The admonition a weekend ago by a top NOPD commander to keep an eye out for "young males...likely carrying guns" turned out to be partially right this past weekend when gunfire erupted twice on Bourbon Street.

The only difference: Crime is colorblind; one shooter was white and one was black. Both spilled blood.

Early Sunday (7.10.11) morning around 3:45 a.m., a 25-year-old white gun-toting guy from New Iberia went berserk, wounding a bar's bouncer and winding up being gunned down dead by a NOPD 8th District cop.

According to police, Justin Schaubert was in the Bourbon Street Blues Company, 441 Bourbon St., and was asked by bouncers to button up his completely unbuttoned shirt or to leave the club. Schaubert took umbrage, pulled his gun, and fled the club on foot, pursued by several bouncers into the 500 block of Bourbon (between St. Louis and Toulouse streets).

[Believe it or not, there appears to have been two "Justin Schaubert"s, both from New Iberia. Friends and lovers of the fella in the picture we published last week from his Facebook page claim he is not the one involved in the shooting; they say this picture from the obituary published in the Daily Iberian newspaper is the dead one. We are awaiting further confirmation from the surviving Justin Schaubert.]

According to Katy Reckdahl's piece in the T-P, Schaubert had "flashed his large-caliber gun inside several Bourbon Street clubs" before going into the Bourbon Street Blues Company, even trying "at another club to get a Jell-O shot without paying by showing the gun tucked into his waistband."

Schaubert began firing at the bouncers, grazing one in the back of the head. Hearing the gunfire, Ofc. Brian Bordes responded and was also fired upon as Schaubert rolled to the ground, still pointing his weapon at Bordes. The officer let go a tap-tap and struck Schaubert at least twice with bullets.

Schaubert died at the scene; the 33-year-old bouncer was in good condition, lucky the bullet he took was not an inch or two either way.

On Friday (7.8.11) night shortly after 11 p.m., 2 black guys--one armed by the other--opened fire on a crowd in front of the Krystal burger joint on Bourbon just off Canal Street, striking 2 men.

A 19-year-old sustained a graze gunshot wound to his right abdomen, and a 51-year-old sustained a gunshot wound to his left forearm.

By Wednesday (7.13.11) 8th District detective John Ball had identified Michael F. Fulton, 21, as the suspect who passed the gun to the shooter. He was arrested at a residence at 1952 N. Tonti St. and was booked around 2 p.m. into Central Lockup, charged with 2 counts of aggravated battery. He is being held on $200,000 bond.

He has already forfeited a bond for failing to appear 6.14.11 on a second possession of marijuana charge. Fulton has prior arrests for illegal possession of marijuana, criminal trespass, resisting arrest and theft.

Fulton is not cooperating with police in naming his accomplice, the shooter, who is still at large. Police say he is in his 20's, 5'9" to 6" tall, weighing 180 pounds with a medium build, wearing a black cap, black shirt, blue jean shorts, and white shoes. He was firing a black semi-automatic handgun.

Caught on tape: 8th District detectives have found video surveillance tapes recorded in the 600 block of Barracks Street that they believe show the getaway car in a robbery in that block and 3 other robberies last week.

The robber was described as a black guy, 5'9" to 6' tall, with a medium build, covering his face with a black bandana and armed with a black handgun, wearing a black hooded sweatshirt.

The getaway vehicle was believed to be a white-colored newer model Dodge Durango. The video footage showed the SUV driving toward the robbery and then backing down the street against traffic after the robbery toward Chartres Street.

The suspect and vehicle were believed involved in these 4 robberies, 3 of them last Thursday (7.7.11):

• 635 Barracks St., 4:50 a.m.: A white couple, he 29, she 21, were sitting on their porch when a black robber came up, pulled a pistol and demanded their money.

• 1900 Burgundy St., 3:00 a.m.: Two white women, one 20, the other 22, were walking down the street when the black robber pulled his pistol and demanded their money. They complied and he told them to run away.

• St. Charles Avenue & Jena Street, 5:30 a.m.: Investigated by the NOPD 2nd District.

• 1300 Ursulines Ave., 3:15 a.m., the day before, on Wednesday (7.6.11): Investigated by the NOPD 1st District.
  

What's this all about?: A 43-year-old white man was walking past the Walgreen's at 619 Decatur St. last Friday (7.8.11) night around 9:30 p.m. when a black punk intentionally bumped into him, armed with a pocket knife. The assailant stabbed the victim on the left side of his neck and wrist when the victim tried to push him away.

The victim was treated at LSU Interim Public Hospital. Police arrested Robert Corum, 22, and charged him with aggravated battery. He is being held in OPP on a $30,000 bond.

Blacks are victims too: Last Saturday (7.9.11) afternoon around 4:15 p.m. a 13-year-old black boy was standing near Bourbon and Canal streets holding a bag containing tennis shoes he had just bought there at Foot Locker. Up came another black boy on a bicycle who asked if he could try on the victim's new shoes. The victim refused and the biker grabbed the bag containing the shoes and fled on his bike.

The thief was described as 5'8" tall, wearing black and yellow gym shorts.

Even blacks are not immune from crime.

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Crimes last week in the 8th District

Sunday (7.3.11)

Armed Robbery, 400 Loyola, 1:59 a.m.
Theft, 500 Bourbon, 2:26 a.m.
Shoplifting, 107 Chartres, 5:55 a.m.
Theft, 116 University, 6:01 a.m.
Theft, 135 Chartres, 7:24 a.m.
Rape, 334 O'Keefe, 11:23 a.m.
Armed Robbery, 100 Exchange Pl, 2:13 p.m.
Auto Burglary, 600 Decatur, 5:16 p.m.
Theft, 440 Bourbon, 10:22 p.m.
Auto Theft, 1100 Burgundy, 11:03 p.m.

Monday (7.4.11)

Auto Burglary, 1500 Sugar Bowl, 3:32 a.m.
Theft, 310 Carondelet, 12:19 p.m.
Theft, 850 Convention Center, 1:44 p.m.
Business Burglary, 823 St Louis, 3:19 p.m.
Auto Theft, N Diamond & Tchoupitoulas, 3:25 p.m.
Armed Robbery, 900 Common, 4:07 p.m.
Auto Burglary, Bourbon & Canal, 4:50 p.m.
Armed Robbery, Loyola & Tulane, 11:56 p.m.

Tuesday (7.5.11)

Auto Theft, Julia & S Peters, 12:05 a.m.
Simple Robbery, Frenchmen & Royal, 3:13 a.m.
Theft , 600 St Ann St, 2:28 p.m.
Auto Theft, 600 N Rampart St, 3:46 p.m.
Shoplifting (attempt), 1021 Decatur St, 6:06 p.m.

Wednesday (7.6.11)

Theft, 801 Royal, 9:48 a.m.
Bicycle Theft, Dauphine & St Louis, 12:02 p.m.
Shoplifting, 917 Decatur, 2:57 p.m.
Auto Theft, 920 Frenchmen, 11:03 p.m.

Thursday (7.7.11)

Residence Burglary, 920 Frenchmen, 1:06 a.m.
Armed Robbery, 1900 Burgundy, 3:17 a.m.
Armed Robbery, 635 Barracks, 4:55 a.m.
Auto Theft, 427 S Rampart, 9:03 a.m.
Theft, 843 Camp, 9:56 a.m.
Shoplifting, 619 Decatur, 3:04 p.m.
Business Burglary, 600 Bourbon, 4:03 p.m.
Theft, 717 Canal, 4:13 p.m.
Auto Theft, 1000 Magazine, 10:29 p.m.

Friday (7.8.11)

Theft, 300 Decatur, 1:28 a.m.
Shoplifting, 1415 Tulane, 9:38 a.m.
Theft, 204 St Charles, 5:09 p.m.
Aggravated Battery, 619 Decatur, 9:35 p.m.
Shooting, 100 Bourbon, 10:54 p.m.
Theft, 700 Bourbon, 11:24 p.m.

Saturday (7.9.11)

Business Burglary, 441 Royal, 12:52 a.m.
Theft, 242 Bourbon, 1:38 a.m.
Theft, 225 Bourbon, 5:16 a.m.
Auto Burglary, 820 Poydras, 10:20 a.m.
Auto Burglary, Girod & St Charles, 11:19 a.m.
Auto Burglary, 820 Poydras, 11:23 a.m.
Simple Robbery, Bourbon & Canal, 4:15 p.m.
Auto Burglary, 300 N Rampart, 5:53 p.m.
Theft, 135 St Charles, 7:15 p.m.

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As always, your comments and suggestions are welcome at NOcrimeline@gmail.com

Thom Kahler