St. Bernard Sheriff’s Office arrests New Orleans man for
illegally firing a weapon and hiding it in playpen
The St. Bernard Sheriff’s Office arrested a New Orleans man after he fired a weapon in a residential neighborhood and then hid it inside a child’s playpen, Sheriff James Pohlmann said.
Jonathan Gooden, 21, of the 12000 block of North I-10 Service Road in New Orleans, was booked with illegal discharge of a firearm.
On Friday, July 16, 2021, at approximately 8:15 p.m., Sheriff Pohlmann said, deputies responded to multiple calls about shots being fired near the 2900 block of East St. Bernard Highway in Meraux.
When deputies arrived on the scene, witnesses said they saw an unknown male subject fire off in the air between three and five shots and then begin walking westbound on St. Bernard Highway.
Shortly after, deputies located a male subject, later identified as Gooden, who fit the description of the suspect walking near the 2000 block of Munster Boulevard.
During the course of the investigation, detectives with the Criminal Investigations Bureau were able to identify Gooden as the suspect through eyewitness accounts and video surveillance.
Several spent, full metal jacket hollow point casings were found at the scene on East St. Bernard Highway, and detectives also recovered the gun, a Draco AK47 semi-automatic assault style rifle, hidden under toys in a child’s playpen inside the home of Gooden’s relative in the 2000 block of Munster Boulevard in Meraux.
Once in custody, Gooden admitted to detectives he fired the gun because he wanted to see what it sounded like.
Sheriff Pohlmann said no one was injured in the incident. The investigation is ongoing.
Citizens who want to share information with detectives about this incident or any other criminal activity pertaining to St. Bernard Parish or any of its residents, can do so by calling the Sheriff’s Office at (504) 271-2501. They also can call the Criminal Investigations Bureau’s tip hotline, (504) 271-TIPS or 8477. Callers can leave a detailed message, and either choose to provide their contact information, or remain anonymous.
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