The woman killed in a triple shooting just hours after a New Orleans Second Line parade has been identified as 26-year-old Destiny Dunn.
Dunn was a Baton Rouge native whose night ended in tragedy when gunfire tore through Central City on Sunday, Nov. 30, 2025.
A Second Line is a beloved New Orleans cultural tradition comprising a parade and street celebration. It’s a community parade led by a “main line” of brass bands and members of a Social Aid and Pleasure Club (SAPC). Behind them comes the “second line,” a crowd of friends, neighbors, families, dancers, and anyone who wants to join in.
Dunn was sitting inside an SUV near Magnolia Street and Washington Avenue around 5:17 p.m. when multiple bullets pierced the driver’s-side window. Two others—a 16-year-old boy and a 29-year-old man—were also wounded but survived.
What was supposed to be a joyful weekend celebration for the Original Lady & Men Buckjumpers ended instead with families running for cover, witnesses collapsing in shock, and yet another young life lost to gun violence.
All I heard was like 30 shots
Witnesses described the chaos that erupted in seconds.
“I’m terrified. I’m disgusted and I’m irritated. Had I closed my door, I’d be dead,” one resident said.
Another recalled hearing “like 30 shots going off,” adding, “All I could do was take cover and hit the floor.”
Video shared on social media showed Dunn in the vehicle moments after she was struck—footage that has since left many in the community devastated.
Police: Fight After Second Line May Be Connected
The shooting unfolded more than an hour after the parade ended at the Dew Drop Inn on LaSalle Street. Police believe the violence may have been sparked by an earlier fight following the procession.
NOPD Chief Communications Officer Reese Harper called the incident “heartbreaking,” saying:
“Second lines are part of who we are as a city. No one should ever fear violence in these moments. We will stand with this family… and we will not let this go unanswered.”
Officers assigned to the parade route responded within minutes, and detectives are now canvassing the neighborhood for security footage and additional witnesses.
Parade Organizers “Can’t Believe” It Happened
Linda Tapp, president of the Lady Buckjumpers, said she did not learn of the killing until Monday morning.
“I’m praying for her family,” Tapp said. “We never had nothing happen at our parade.”
Tapp’s words carry added weight—her son, rapper Soulja Slim, was killed in 2003 after growing up in the Magnolia housing development, not far from where Dunn lost her life.
The grief runs deep.
A City Searching for Answers
Gunfire near second lines—one of New Orleans’ most cherished cultural traditions—is not unheard of, but the killing of an innocent bystander has reopened painful conversations about safety, community violence, and the toll on families who were simply in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Dunn’s death is a reminder that behind every statistic is a name, a family, a history, and in this case, a young woman whose loved ones are now mourning a life taken far too soon.
The investigation remains ongoing.
