A freak shooting incident on Bourbon Street in New Orleans resulted in the death of innocent bystander Julie Couvillon. Couvillon, 36, worked as a nurse and is survived by her young daughter. She was struck by a stray bullet when a man being ejected from a bar grabbed a security guard’s gun and began shooting randomly.
The incident occurred at 3:10 am on Bourbon Street on Monday morning. Couvillon, who worked as a nurse, was having a rare night out, according to her friends. She wasn’t prone to heading out for a night on the town often, though this evening she’d been enjoying Carnival parades and generally having a good time.
Her killer, Louis Barnes, was being removed from a restaurant by security when he grabbed a guard’s gun. Barnes, struggling, fired off several shots. He managed to hit the security guard in the neck, himself in the shoulder and fatally struck Julie Couvillon, who was not involved in the struggle. The security guard, who hasn’t been identified, is expected to make a full recovery, though he’s currently in critical condition.
Couvillon worked as a nurse at Ochsner Health System. The hospital released a statement following her death. “We are terribly shocked and saddened to learn of the tragic passing of our friend and colleague, Julie Couvillon,” they wrote in the release.
“An employee for 13 years, Julie was a beloved nurse who dedicated her life to caring for others. This is a devastating loss to the nurses, employees, physicians, and staff across our system. We offer our deepest condolences to her family and the families of the other victims.”
Couvillon’s death was called “horrible” by friend Angela Negoda, who spoke to a local CBS station. “The situation should have never happened,” Negoda stated. “Julie was the type of person where if you met her you were friends with her instantly. She was a good person.”
