A Nurse with a Gun

Thursday, December 15, 2005

Rewards Offered for Over 600 Looted Guns

News has come from New Orleans that over 600 firearms were looted in Louisiana in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. Authorities are now offering rewards for anyone who can provide information leading to the recovery of the stolen firearms, or the arrest and indictment of those who stole them.
Tipsters can receive a reward of up to $2,500 for the arrest and indictment of anyone responsible for the gun thefts from 20 businesses in the New Orleans area, Crimestoppers Executive Director Darlene Cusanza said. The public also can collect a separate reward of up to $2,500 for the recovery of stolen weapons, she said. "This is an opportunity for citizens to step forward . . . and help us take the firearms off of the streets," she said Wednesday, surrounded by representatives from the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; the New Orleans, Gretna and Kenner police departments; and the sheriff's offices for Jefferson and St. John the Baptist parishes.

Though the Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office, the Gretna Police Department and a handful of agencies took steps to remove and secure some firearms from businesses before and after the storm, looters still managed to find weapons to steal. Of the 20 stores burglarized in Louisiana, seven were in Orleans Parish, eight in Jefferson, four in St. Bernard and one in St. John, according to ATF Special Agent Austin Banks. Looters made off with 75 to 100 firearms from BJ's Pawn Shop on Jefferson Highway in Jefferson before burning the store to the ground in the first few days after Katrina made landfall Aug. 29, owner Bill Jefferson said. Although he put all the handguns away in a safe, the thieves broke a cable lock and stole all the rifles and shotguns there, he said.

Thieves also got past a steel door at his Gretna location, stealing 50 firearms, including some AK-47 assault rifles and pistols, Johnson said. Hurricane-related gun looting wasn't just a local problem. Another 400 firearms were stolen from businesses in Mississippi and Alabama, according to Robert Browning, the ATF's assistant special agent in charge. Of the 1,000 guns looted from all three states, only 137 have been recovered. The guns have been found in Georgia, Arizona, Texas and Mississippi, but the vast majority have turned up in Louisiana, Browning said.

Anyone with information about the business burglaries involving guns or the location of stolen firearms is asked to call Crimestoppers at 822-1111 or toll free at (877) 903-7867. Tips also can be left on the group's Web site, www.crimestoppersgno.com. Callers do not have to give their names or testify and can earn up to $2,500 for tips that lead to an indictment.

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