Barricaded man arrested after shooting

NOW. We start with current news. SOURCES SAY A MAN AT THE CENTER OF A SWAT SITUATION HAS BEEN ARRESTED. All of this started after shots were fired at police officers. AND IT TOOK ALMOST NINE HOURS. TRAVERS, THIS IS AN ACTIVE INVESTIGATION. It unfolds in the WILLOWS APARTMENT COMPLEX, which is located in New Orleans East, right off I-10. SOME FAMILIES HAD TO BE evacuated TODAY and a nearby school was put on lockdown. WE NOW HAVE LIVE TEAM COVERAGE FOR YOU WITH TWO CREWS IN THE AREA. Let's start with WDSU reporter ELIZABETH KUEBEL, who has been on site most of the day since this news broke. ELIZABETH, what does it look like now? AND THE SUSPECT IS NOW IN CUSTION. YES, THIS IS THE BIG DEVELOPMENT WE ARE HEARING FROM LAW ENFORCEMENT RIGHT NOW THAT THIS SUSPECT IS IN CUSTODY NOW. I contacted the NOPD to confirm. I haven't heard from NOPD yet, but our sources are telling us right now that the suspect is in custody. THIS IS EVOLVING RIGHT NOW BECAUSE I WANT TO GIVE YOU A LOOK BEHIND ME AND YOU CAN SEE THAT THIS SCENE IS STILL VERY ACTIVE. RIGHT NOW. We are located at a media appearance site right outside the Spring Lake neighborhood. The interstate is to my left, right here, and you can see there's still a New Orleans police car blocking the road here. We now zoom into the distance and you can also see that there are several NOPD cars lining the street in front of the Willows apartment complex. Despite this groundbreaking development, you can see that the police are still on site at the moment. WE ALSO HAVE A VIDEO IF WE CAN PLAY THAT AND TAKE YOU EVEN CLOSER, GIVE YOU AN EVEN CLOSER LOOK AT THE HUGE POLICE PRESENCE THAT HAS LINED THE WILLOWS APARTMENT COMPLEX FOR ALMOST NINE HOURS NOW. What happened was that federal agents responded and said a suspect then shot and fired at those agents before barricading himself in the Willows apartment complex. So this was a very strategic afternoon. And again, the current update we're hearing from our sources right now is that this suspect is now in custody. A FEW HOURS AGO WE RECEIVED OUR LATEST UPDATE FROM THE New Orleans POLICE COMMISSIONER and she explained to us what officers have done to get to this point. What I really appreciate is that we have slowed down this process. WE WANT A SAFE CONCLUSION. AND THE TEAMS THAT ARE OUT NOW ARE VERY METHODOLOGICAL AND STRATEGIC. AND BUT WE WILL SOLVE THIS IN THE BEST WAY WE CAN, LIKE IF THE PERSON INSIDE IS GIVEN UP. BUT WE DON'T KNOW COMPLETELY EVERYTHING THAT'S HAPPENING YET. And again, we will let you know as soon as we receive confirmation from the NOPD. But our sources now tell us that this suspect is in custody. LIVE REPORTING IN NEW ORLEANS EAST. I'm ELIZABETH KUEBEL, WDSU NEWS. AND YOU KNOW, THE ENTIRE COMMUNITY IS AT RISK AND WAS DANGEROUS AFTER THIS TOURNAMENT. SOME WERE EITHER FORCED TO STAY HOME ALL DAY OR THEY WERE FORCED TO BE EVACUATED. WDSU REPORTER JONAH GILMORE CONTINUES our team's LIVE coverage of this active shooter situation. JONAH, you've talked to a lot of people. It was a pretty tense day for her. Yes, you know, TRAVIS, A LOT OF PEOPLE IN THIS COMMUNITY HAVE A LOT TO SAY ABOUT THIS. STANDOFF FOR HOURS. And I can tell you from this standpoint that we are on the other side of Crowd. In fact, a few moments ago we saw a fire truck enter the property of the apartment over there in Willows. I can tell you that from this perspective not much has changed. AS ELIZABETH SAID, THIS ROUTE NEAR THE WILLOW APARTMENTS, WHERE THE POLICE PRESENCE IS NOW GOING, IS STILL CLOSED. AND IN THIS HOUR SINCE WE GOT HERE WE HAVE SEEN DOZENS OF LAW ENFORCEMENT VEHICLES AND PEOPLE. The ongoing standoff at the Willow Apartments has resulted in schools being closed, roads being closed, and even some traffic backing up here in the East. A MAN WHO LIVES NEARBY NOW TELLS ME HIS BIGGEST CONCERN IS THE TIME OF DAY. THIS HAPPENED. He says hours later, children are usually walking around, getting off the school bus and heading home. He described coming out of his house and seeing all this commotion. I received the warning today, and recently. I said to step outside the front door just to see something and I walk out. And I was alarmed. And then back here. I can tell you that this crowd section near WILLOW APARTMENTS toward I-10 is closed to traffic. Again, not much has changed in terms of police presence, but as Elizabeth said, we're hearing that this person is in custody right now. We'll be out here hoping to hear from police soon to get an update on what actually happened, what led up to it and what the outcome is. WE LIVE IN N

Barricaded man arrested after shooting in east New Orleans

According to police, Hector J. Flores is in custody

Updated: October 3, 2024, 10:21 p.m. CDT

Sources say a barricaded man is currently in custody after agents were shot. Police say the man in custody is Hector J. Flores. It is unknown what charges will be brought against him. The incident occurred at the Willows Apartments in New Orleans East after agents were shot at Thursday morning. The New Orleans Police Department said federal agents were on scene in the 7000 block of Lawrence Road investigating a suspect for aggravated kidnapping and armed robbery. Flores reportedly shot at agents before barricading himself in one of the apartments. After a nearly nine-hour standoff, he was removed from the roof of the complex by the New Orleans Fire Department before being arrested. Due to the incident, Robert Russa Moton Charter School was placed on lockdown out of an abundance of caution. The school released a statement on the situation: “A soft lockdown has been imposed for ReNEW Moton Lakefront Primary School today. Because the situation near Crowder and I-10 remained tense at the time of dismissal, the following dismissal procedures were communicated to families: Buses will be released on the regular schedule, although delays may occur due to area closures. The usual dismissal procedure applies to drivers. We encourage parents to pick up any students who normally walk home, and according to the 7th District Police, they are not permitted to walk home if they live on the I-10 side of Morrison . Willow Apartments and Huntington Park Apartments in New Orleans East remain closed, according to 7th District Police No bus rides home will be permitted at Willow Apartments or Huntington Park Apartments. Families or individuals listed as emergency contacts must come to pick up students staying in these apartments. “No injuries have been reported at this time. No further information was provided. WDSU will continue to provide updates as information becomes available.

NEW ORLEANS –

Sources say a barricaded man is currently in custody after agents were shot. According to police, the man in custody is Hector J. Flores. It is unknown what charges will be brought against him.

The incident occurred at the Willows Apartments in East New Orleans after agents were shot at Thursday morning.

The New Orleans Police Department said federal agents were on scene in the 7000 block of Lawrence Road investigating a suspect for aggravated kidnapping and armed robbery.

Flores reportedly shot at agents before barricading himself in one of the apartments. After a nearly nine-hour standoff, he was removed from the roof of the complex by the New Orleans Fire Department before being arrested.

Due to the incident, Robert Russa Moton Charter School was placed on lockdown out of an abundance of caution.

The school released a statement on the situation:

“A soft lockdown was imposed today for ReNEW Moton Lakefront Elementary School. Because the situation near Crowder and I-10 remained tense at the time of discharge, the following discharge procedures were communicated to families:

Buses will be released at regular time, but delays may occur due to area closures.

Motorists are subject to normal routine dismissal procedures. We encourage parents to pick up any students who normally walk home. According to 7th District Police, students are not allowed to walk home if they live on the I-10 side of Morrison. These students must be picked up from school.

The Willow Apartments and Huntington Park Apartments in New Orleans East remain closed, according to 7th District Police. Students living in Willow Apartments or Huntington Park Apartments will not be allowed to take the bus home. Families or individuals listed as emergency contacts must come to pick up students residing in these apartments.”

No injuries have been reported at this time. No further information was provided.

WDSU will continue to provide updates as information becomes available.