Ida aftermath: Louisiana man fatally shot while waiting in long lines at gas station

METAIRIE, La. — Long lines at a Louisiana gas station and short tempers in the wake of Hurricane Ida led to a fatal shooting Friday afternoon, authorities said.

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According to the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office, one driver fatally shot another as they waited to fill up their vehicles at a Chevron station in Metairie, The Times-Picayune reported.

The gunman fled the scene, Sheriff Joseph Lopinto told reporters during a news conference. The victim and the gunman were not identified.

“Nobody needed to lose their life over freakin’ gas today,” Lopinto said. “This is absolutely ridiculous.”

Hurricane Ida slammed into the Louisiana coast last weekend as a Category 4 storm, causing extensive damage and flooding and knocking out power to thousands of residents. The remnants of the storm caused torrential flooding in the Northeast and spawned several tornadoes.

Lopinto said the victim was in a long line to fill up at the service station when he began arguing with another motorist about 4:15 p.m. CDT, the Times-Picayune reported. The other motorist reacted by pulling a gun and shooting the victim.

“It is unbelievable that people can’t act like adults in this situation,” Lopinto told reporters. “I’ve expressed some things today but’s ridiculous, my deputies are coming from place to place to place, but hostilities are high around here; for anybody to bring a gun to a gas station, it’s not needed.

“We are going to do our best and I have no doubt that we are going to solve this crime, but nobody needs to lose their life over gas today, and this is what it comes down to.”

Paramedics took the wounded man to an area hospital, where he was pronounced dead, the Times-Picayune reported.

“I’ve got a suspect in the wind and a dead person on the ground who can’t talk to me right now,” Lopinto told reporters.

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