New Orleans driver killed in "crossfire shooting"

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Summary: Michael Garcia, 41, was fatally shot in the head April 7, 2026, in New Orleans, Louisiana, after a two-vehicle crash in the St. Claude neighborhood left him an innocent bystander in a crossfire shootout. Police arrested Terrence Leavell, 48, charging the suspect with manslaughter and firearm offenses. Neighbors reported hearing about a dozen gunshots and rushed to aid Garcia before he was transported to a hospital, where he died, reports say.

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NEW ORLEANS — A 41-year-old man was shot in the head and killed Tuesday while sitting in his vehicle in the St. Claude neighborhood, authorities said.

New Orleans police responded shortly after 5 p.m. April 7 to reports of a car crash at the intersection of North Claiborne Avenue and Desire Street. Officers found Michael Garcia slumped in the driver’s seat of his vehicle suffering from a single gunshot wound to the head. Paramedics rushed him to University Medical Center, where he died about an hour later, police records show.

Investigators determined Garcia was an innocent bystander struck by gunfire during a shootout between other individuals that followed a two-vehicle collision at the scene. No other injuries were reported from the exchange of shots.

A resident who lives near the intersection told investigators she heard roughly six gunshots, followed moments later by another six. Several neighbors ran to Garcia’s vehicle and attempted to assist him while waiting for emergency responders to arrive, the witness said.

Police arrested 48-year-old Terrence Leavell in connection with the shooting. He was booked with manslaughter, possession of a firearm or carrying a concealed weapon by a person convicted of certain felonies, and illegal use of weapons or dangerous instrumentalities. A judge set bond at $700,000.

During Leavell’s initial court appearance, the suspect denied shooting Garcia and told the judge he believed he was being charged only because he was already on parole. The New Orleans Police Department homicide unit continues to investigate and has asked anyone with additional information to contact detectives or Crime Stoppers.

Garcia had been driving in the area at the time of the crash and shooting.

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