Five Former NOPD Officers Sentenced for Danziger Bridge Shootings

Five former New Orleans police officers will serve from six to 65 years in prison for their parts in a notorious shooting after Hurricane Katrina in 2005. Two unarmed civilians were killed and four others injured.

Victims were crossing the Danziger Bridge, seeking shelter after the hurricane left the city in chaos. Police responding to reports of shots fired at officers at the bridge opened fire on the civilians. A mentally disabled man and a teenaged boy were killed; four others were seriously hurt. Victims spoke at the sentencing in federal court of their sorrow. Witnesses for the former officers testified of the strain they were under after the storm. Four officers will serve decades for their role in the shootings. One will serve six years for helping stage a cover-up.