A 20-year-old man has been arrested in connection with the fatal shooting of a New Orleans bartender, the New Orleans Police Department announced Friday. Marcus McDaniel is accused of killing 25-year-old Nicholas Dent, the son of a veteran NOPD officer, on May 2 in the Little Woods area of New Orleans East.
Details of the Shooting
Police responded early on May 2 to a call about a suspicious person near the intersection of West Laverne Street and Erin Drive. Dent was found unresponsive on the ground and pronounced dead at the scene. According to his father, Shawn Dent, Nicholas had just finished a late-night shift at Voodoo Chicken & Daiquiris and was giving a friend and another person a ride when the shooting occurred.
Suspect Arrested
Homicide detectives quickly identified McDaniel as a suspect. He was taken into custody around 8:55 a.m. Thursday on the General De Gaulle Drive exit of U.S. 90 westbound, with assistance from the U.S. Marshals Service and Louisiana State Police. McDaniel was booked into the Orleans Parish Prison on a charge of second-degree murder.
Other Charges Against McDaniel
Records from the Orleans Parish Sheriff’s Office show that McDaniel faces several other charges in unrelated cases, including battery of a dating partner with strangulation, aggravated assault with a firearm, and child endangerment in domestic abuse cases.
Investigation and Motive
Authorities have not released further details about the shooting, including a possible motive. The investigation remains ongoing.
