A three-year-old girl might be alive today if the New Orleans Police Department had arrested 20-year-old Donell E. Barthelemy who was wanted on a separate arrest warrant for a homicide back in September.
Police announced Wednesday that they arrested Barthelemy in the investigation of a homicide that happened April 26 in the 400 block of Burgundy Street where a 3-year-old girl was fatally shot. The Orleans Parish coroner identified the young victim was Barthelemy's sister Autumn Barthelemy.
The NOPD says during that investigation, detectives discovered that Barthelemy had an active arrest warrant for a homicide on September 30, in the 2400 block of Ursulines Avenue. The Orleans Parish Coroner’s Office identified the victim in that incident as 34-year-old Brian Thomas.
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Six months later, on March 16, NOPD homicide detectives were finally able to obtained an arrest warrant for Barthelemy for that homicide. If they had been able to execute that warrant, and arrest Barthelemy he would have been in jail. His sister would likely still be alive.
After further investigation into the Burgundy Street incident, detectives obtained an additional arrest warrant for Barthelemy on one count of negligent homicide for the fatal shooting of his sister in addition to the September homicide charge.