Family of nurse fatally wounded in Lundi Gras I-10 shooting calls for justice

NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) - A nurse shot more than five months ago on I-10 in New Orleans East died last month from medical complications from her injury. Now, her family is demanding justice while preparing to bury her.

Kimberly Burnette Hines, 39, was a mother of four, a new grandmother and a travel nurse. She was a bubbly and warm person, her sister Keeva Paul said.

“We miss her, you know? Her kids miss her. It’s really hard,” Paul said.

Last month, Hines was identified as the third fatality in a February shooting that happened on Lundi Gras. More than five months after the shooting, Hines died from her injuries at West Jefferson Medical Center.

Hines was riding in the back seat of a car when another vehicle, driven by Uber driver and social worker Andrew Stiller, crashed into it. The wreck came after shots were fired into Stiller’s car, hitting both Stiller and his passenger, 21-year-old Johnell Hampton.

According to police, gunmen continued firing into the wreck, with a bullet striking Hines in the head.

Hampton and Stiller died at the scene.

“We got a phone call saying she was in a car wreck. My momma got to the hospital, and they tell my mom that the reason she was in a car wreck is because she was shot in the head,” Paul said. “They told her, told my mom, that they giving her two hours to live.”

Paul said her sister ended up fighting for five months, eventually passing away at the hospital on July 29.

Tyree Quinn, 33, was arrested as a suspect in the shooting. At the time, New Orleans police said they were also looking for three other suspects. But the NOPD has reported nothing more about potential suspects since.

“I don’t feel like the police department is doing anything,” Paul said. “I feel like the justice system is corrupt. I’m very angry.

“Kimberly is going to be truly missed by a lot of people. She wasn’t just some individual who didn’t matter. She was a human. She meant a lot to a lot of people.”

The Orleans Parish District Attorney’s office said last week that it anticipated seeking a new grand jury indictment for a third second-degree murder charge now that Hines has died. Quinn has pleaded not guilty to his first two murder counts.

“Even if there were three other suspects, it’s not going to bring my sister back. She’s gone,” Paul said. “All we have now is memories.”

Paul, who now lives in Florida, said she already had a bad taste in her mouth for her hometown of New Orleans. She said her sister’s killing has cemented that feeling.

“I advise no one to come to New Orleans, because you might never make it back home to see your family,” she said. “You might leave in a body bag.”

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