Toddler shot, critically injured at Costco fuel station, NOPD says

NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) - A toddler was shot and critically injured Tuesday afternoon (July 12) at the Costco fuel station, New Orleans police said.

Police said the child, whose identity has not been disclosed, was taken to a hospital for emergency treatment for a gunshot wound to the leg. The child was wounded at about 3:50 p.m., and five hours later was said by police to be in critical but stable condition.

The wounded boy initially was described as a 1-year-old by police, but investigators later reported his correct age as 2.

The NOPD said the gun was recovered at the scene, and that “all individuals involved in the incident have been detained for questioning.” A man and a woman were seen being handcuffed and placed in a police car about an hour after the shooting.

Police also said, “the incident is not believed to have been a random act of violence.”

The child’s shooting was only the latest in a series of high-profile incidents this year at the popular warehouse store and its discount membership fuel station.

New Orleans realtor Kelleye Rhein, 45, was knocked unconscious, run over, and hospitalized after being carjacked while fueling at the Costco pumps on Feb. 1. An 18-year-old suspect, Tyrese Harris, was arrested in connection with that crime.

And on Feb. 20, a 44-year-old man was shot to death during a domestic dispute in the warehouse store’s parking lot an hour after the store closed.

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