Jefferson Gun Outlet bloodbath destroys 3 families as JPSO continues to classify the evidence | Crime / Police

One was a mother and a grandmother there to get a gun she had ordered for protection.

Another was a firearms enthusiast in one of his two jobs. The third was there to practice target practice.

They were all killed inside the Jefferson Gun Outlet in Metairie on Saturday afternoon, when an argument over an alleged breach of a security rule turned into a shootout that sent Veronica Billiot, Herbert “Noah” Fischbach and Joshua Williams to the morgue and two others to the hospital with injured, officials and loved ones said on Sunday.

Details of those killed during the bloodshed at the gun shop and indoor firing range in 1617 Airline Drive emerged a day later, as investigators at the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office searched surveillance videos, ballistic evidence and testimony from witnesses to reconstruct what happened in the midst of the carnage.

Investigators are examining a key exchange. Williams, 27, brought a pistol with an extended magazine to the store and argued with employees when they told him to unload his gun to comply with a rule that prohibits customers from having a loaded gun when they are not in a booth at the scene. target, multiple law enforcement sources told The Times-Picayune | New Orleans Advocate.

Detectives suspect things have gotten so drastically worse that Williams – who had gone there to use the stove, according to relatives – fired a warning shot at the ceiling.

The sources said the investigators believe Williams fatally shot Fischbach, 47, the clerk. Williams and Billiot, 59 – who was there to pick up a gun she had ordered ahead of time, according to her family – were fatally wounded as armed employees and shop customers started shooting.

Williams died after running into the parking lot, which investigators later found was full of used gun cartridges. Billiot died shortly after entering the store, whose glass doors were broken. Two other people were injured during the shooting and were taken to the hospital, although their injuries were not potentially fatal.

Jefferson Coroner Gerry Cvitanovich released the names of Williams, Fischbach and Billiot on Sunday morning. But little new information was available about who in the store fatally shot Williams and Billiot, with investigators still working to establish exactly which of the countless weapons at the site were fired and who they may have hit.

Whatever the case, three families spent Sunday mourning the devastation caused by a bloodbath that within hours reached the national news.

Linda Billiot said that everything indicates that her older sister, Veronica, “had no idea what was going on” when the argument involving Williams started.

“She was completely innocent,” said Linda Billiot during a telephone interview on Sunday.

Sometimes, in a choked voice, Linda Billiot remembered how Veronica Billiot prepared to help raise her two younger sisters because their mother was not in the picture while they grew up in Algiers Point.

She made her living as a military home administrator at the New Orleans Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base in Belle Chasse, said Linda Billiot. In addition to the sisters, Veronica Billiot also raised three children and six grandchildren.

Linda Billiot said Veronica Billiot’s son was horrified to learn of the fivefold shooting at the Jefferson Gun Outlet, knowing that his mother had gone there to pick up a gun she had ordered for self-defense at the time the shooting started. Soon, authorities confirmed that his mother was among the dead, said Linda Billiot.

“It’s shocking – I’m not suing,” said Linda Billiot. “I haven’t slept since I heard what happened.”

The president of New Orleans Navy Housing and Patrician Management – Billiot’s employer – said she “led a full and successful life both at home and at work” and was “dedicated to her employees”.

“She has served our company and military families at the Belle Chasse Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base for 15 years,” said Patrician Management President Alex Lewis in an emailed statement. “She was a tireless worker with a passion for excellence and a deep respect for our military families.”

Fischbach’s widow remembered her husband as a dedicated father and partner with ambitions to advance his career in the film industry. He worked as a special effects specialist and gunsmith, who oversees the proper and safe use of all weapons in a film set.

Because of coronavirus restrictions in the film industry, Fischbach has spent more time working at his other job at Jefferson Gun Outlet, said Nancy Fischbach, his wife for 14 years.

However, he also made time to be a dedicated husband, as when he planned a day full of surprises like wines, sweets and other goodies for his recent birthday.

“He was amazing,” said Fischbach of her husband, with whom she was raising a 13-year-old son, Ethan. “Words cannot describe the person he was. He was so genuine, so real, so true. He was my soul mate. “

Williams’ family, meanwhile, rejected claims that he was to blame for the violence at the Jefferson Gun Outlet.

He went to the store with his brother and some children, said a relative of Williams on Saturday. This relative, who declined to be identified, doubted that Williams had appeared looking for a shootout in a place he knew was frequented by police and ex-military men on duty.

Family members noted that Williams went to other shooting ranges in the region and never had any problems. In addition, a woman on social media who claimed to be Williams’ mother posted a message on social media saying he was not going to target shooting and was fired by company officials.

“My son … was MURDERED,” wrote the woman, who identified herself as Trudy Edwards.

A knock on the front door of Williams’s home address went unanswered on Sunday.

Jefferson Gun Outlet director Michael Mayer jumped in defense of Fischbach and his other employees on Sunday.

Mayer said he had to limit his comments because the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office and other officials are still conducting investigations, but he issued a statement accusing Williams of assaulting his store employees after they asked him to unload his gun.

“Our store was attacked by Joshua Williams,” said Mayer’s statement, in part. “A customer and an employee died in the shooting (which followed). Joshua Williams, the sniper, is also dead. “