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According to reports, 43-year-old Kristie Thibodeaux—who is White—was shot once in the shoulder while sitting inside her Jeep on St. Peter Street, an area in New Orleans iconic French Quarter, around 4:42 in the morning. Reports say Thibodeaux was a local tour guide. EMS declared her dead at the scene.

For the crime, the New Orleans Police Department announced the arrest of three teenagers, 17-year-old Jerben Albarec, 19-year-old Joshua Aviala-Bonifacio, and an unidentified 15-year-old minor—all of which are Black. They now face charges of second-degree murder and attempted armed robbery, with the two adult suspects held on an appropriate $1.1 million bond.

Court documents suggest that all three Black teens had been driving around in a Black Chevrolet Camaro on the morning of the incident, “looking to commit robberies.” During interrogation, the suspects admitted they had already robbed three unidentified victims before they found Thibodeaux sitting in her vehicle.

Police say 19-year-old Bonifacio would eventually inform on their young accomplice, identifying him as the trigger-man. He claimed that the 15-year-old shot Thibodeaux after she tried to get away. Police confirmed the story by scouring security footage from nearby areas, which allegedly showed the juvenile approach his victim with a “hoodie and a mask on.”

“As the subject ‘John Q’ approached the White female, she screamed jumped in her vehicle to get away from ‘John Q.’ The subject ‘John Q’ pulled his gun and pointed it at the female inside of the vehicle, the fired a single shot at the victim and fled back to the black Chevy Camaro where Mr. Bonifacio and Mr. Albarec waited for him,” Police reports say. “They even exchange mention of the homicide via social media.”

Meanwhile, the victim’s family and friends are remembering her as a loving woman who consistently brought joy, warmth, and unforgettable experiences to those visiting the city. Crawl New Orleans, the tourism company she worked for, called her a passionate and kind member of their team who “touched the lives of thousands.”

“I’ve gone through hell this past year, and you were always there to cheer me up and show me how much good there really is in this world,” said Thibodeaux’s close friend, Nate Sanders, in a heartfelt Facebook post.

“Whoever did this I hope you never have the comfort of not watching over your shoulder again. You took an angel from us… You’re a garbage human and don’t deserve to ever see the light of day again,” he continued.

A GoFundMe has been set up to support the family and cover the cost of an unexpected funeral. At the time of press, it has garnered only $1,600 of its original $3,000 goal. Crawl New Orleans has a special fundraiser event planned on July 7th, which seeks to recreate her tour route through the French Quarter in a memorial pub crawl.

“She brought so much joy and just entertainment to tourists that were visiting the city,” said the owner of Crawl New Orleans, Brian Cain, in a comment to FOX8 Live. “She was the life of the party and the mother hen, all in one. She took care of all the people on her tour. She wanted people to see New Orleans in the best light.”

“Kristie touched the lives of thousands of New Orleans visitors with her warmth and enthusiasm. She was a prominent figure on Bourbon Street, loved by the staff of all the venues she frequented. Her loss is profoundly felt by all of us, and her absence leaves a void in our hearts and our community,” read an official announcement by Crawl New Orleans.

The city of New Orleans, where Kristie Thibodeaux was shot dead for her petty valuables, has been described as a “war zone” of murders, gang criminality, and racial violence. According to the 2020 US Census Report, the demographics of the “Big Easy” are listed as only 31.61% White alone, with much of the city’s White population living in small enclaves separated by predominately Black census tracks.

Sunday proceeds and bartender tips from High Grace will be donated to the family of Kristi Thibodeaux, the tour guide killed early Sunday morning in the French Quarter.

Tonight at 10 we talk to those who knew her best! @WWLTV pic.twitter.com/mzUUDCsGzT

— Whitney LB Miller (@WhitneyonTV) July 3, 2024

Thibodeaux’s death also represents a marked uptick in interracial killings within New Orleans’s busiest tourism sector.

In May, White 26-year-old Chuck Fink—a homeless man—died after police say a drug-possessing career criminal, identified as Black 33-year-old Darnell Hunter, cut his throat as he slept on a sidewalk on Bourbon Street. Hunter was said to have a long rap sheet with two prior slashings on record. Despite this, he was allowed to roam the streets as a free man.

In March, 31-year-old Anthony Cooper was arrested for driving his SUV into his White girlfriend, 21-year-old Anastasia Rayborn, striking her against a storefront and killing her. Reports state that the murder was borne from a troubled domestic life for the interracial couple. Rayborn’s family had allegedly given the young victim a “safeword” in case she needed to be swept away from the clutches of her “abusive” Black beau.

In January, 18-year-old Seth Chedville—a talented stunt performer—was shot dead in a brutal drive-by shooting at a New Orleans gas station. Police say the attack was orchestrated by Black 21-year-old Bryceon Jones, who was identified after he was arrested for a completely different shooting three days later. Although three were injured in the shooting, Chedville was the only reported death.

That anti-White killing would precede the murder of White 32-year-old Jacob Carter, an openly gay migrant advocate from Tacoma, Washington, who was visiting New Orleans with his husband. Police say Carter was shot and killed in the city’s French Quarter. They would eventually arrest 16-year-old Malik Cornelius, whom they say stole a Kia and committed a “shooting spree.” He would later plead not guilty for the crime.

The killings would come just after 73-year-old David Sorenson—a White grandfather and husband of 50 years—was found beaten to death in his hotel room in 2022. For the crime, police arrested a “drunk” Hispanic man, identified as 29-year-old Martin Hurtado, barging into random guest rooms. At the time, it would be just one of a long streak of anti-White killings, which appear to have only multiplied into 2024.

According to the Metropolitan Crime Commission—a privately funded citizens’ organization monitoring crime and corruption in Louisiana—11 of 16 violent incidents in New Orleans last week occurred on Saturday and Sunday.

Among these would include a number of suspected Black-on-Black killings, including the gunshot murder of Tourist Christopher Oatts Jr. on Bourbon Street and the shooting deaths of two men outside a popular bar by a Black bouncer.

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