Funeral held for Brianna Allen

Funeral held for 5-year-old girl gunned down at birthday party

Five-year-old Brianna Allen, who was killed after being shot at another child’s birthday party was laid to rest Tuesday morning. view full article

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Police Chief Ronal Serpas comments at Briana Allen funeral New Orleans Police Chief Ronal Serpas talks about crime in the city outside the funeral of 5-year-old Briana Allen who was killed by a stray bullet at a Central City birthday party last week. Watch video

I-Team: Suspect in girl’s killing recently released from jail

NEW ORLEANS -The 18-year-old suspect who faces charges in connection with the killing of a 5-year-old girl and a mother of three was released from jail only weeks before the shooting.The WDSU I-Team has confirmed that Leo Riles pleaded guilty in December to a charge of “improper use of a movable” — being caught occupying a stolen vehicle. Judge Ben Willard placed Riles on probation, but sources said Riles failed to meet with his probation officer and to follow guidelines that would keep him out of jail.

Those violations landed Riles back in Orleans Parish Prison earlier this year.

Riles spent just less than a month in jail before he was again released — on May 2. He remained on probation for the earlier offense.

Riles surrendered to authorities Wednesday morning. He is expected to face two murder charges — one each for the killings of 5-year-old Brianna Allen and 33-year-old Shawanna Pierce, a mother of three. Three others, including a 10-year-old boy, were injured in the shooting spree, which happened at a Central City birthday party.

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Suspect in Central City quintuple shooting that killed 2 turns self in

An 18-year-old man suspected in the shooting in Central City yesterday that left two people dead and three others injured has turned himself in, New Orleans Police Superintendent Ronal Serpas said this afternoon. Leo Riles, 18, will be booked wiith two counts of first-degree murder, Serpas said.

Serpas said the NOPD still has not identified two other men believed to be involved in the shooting.

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The shooting at a child’s birthday party in Central City Tuesday afternoon that left a 5-year-old girl and 33-year-old woman dead and three others wounded was caught on surveillance video. The video was released by New Orleans police late Tuesday night.

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Girl, 5, woman killed in Central City shooting; 3 others injured

A 5-year-old girl and a 33-year-old woman died from gunshot wounds Tuesday afternoon in a fusillade in Central City, New Orleans policesaid. A 10-year-old boy had graze wounds to the face and leg, a 20-year-old man was wounded in the wrist and a 24-year-old man was shot in the face, police said.

“It was my grandson’s birthday party,” said a woman, referring to the 10-year-old boy.

She said she was sitting on bricks across the street near the Guste high rise when “three dudes came from that direction,” the intersection of Simon Bolivar Avenue and Clio Street.

Initially she thought the weapons in their hands were “play guns.” She said the armed men were shooting at other people who ran to the birthday party area.

Police marked about 24 casings spread in front of an area on Simon Bolivar Avenue from  1212-1214 Simon Bolivar Avenue to Clio Street. Casings littered the asphalt street as well as the neutral ground.

The shooting started about 5:45 p.m. in the 1200 block of Simon Bolivar Avenue, according to police. who are trying to reconstruct events leading up to the violence.

The 33-year-old woman was shot while driving a green Mazda 3 on Simon Bolivar Avenue. After she was hit, she crashed the car into a utility pole at Simon Bolivar and Thalia Street.

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