On March 30, 2022, members of the NOPD's Special Operations Division arrested Tyrone Steele (DOB: 05/05/2003) on murder charges in connection with two homicide incidents that occurred earlier this month and left a total of four people dead. 

  On March 30, members of the NOPD Homicide Unit presented to the Orleans Parish District Attorney's Special Grand Jury their case for indictment of Steele as the perpetrator in two homicide incidents involving four victims: 

• A homicide by shooting on March 21, 2022, in the 4100 block of Encampment Street. The incident was initially signaled as an aggravated battery by shooting. Third District officers arrived on scene and located three individuals – two adult males and one adult female – inside of an apartment, all having sustained gunshot wounds. The victims were declared deceased at the scene. Upon completion of autopsy, the Orleans Parish Coroner’s Office identified the victims as 21-year-old Amya Cornin, 27-year-old Darrin Williams and 24-year-old Nehemiah Jones. 
• A homicide by shooting on March 26, 2022, at the intersection of Morrison and Gannon roads. The incident was originally reported as an unclassified death, where Seventh District officers located the body of an unknown male subject floating in a canal. After autopsy, the Orleans Parish Coroner’s Office determined that the victim had sustained a gunshot wound to the head and ruled the death to be a homicide. The Coroner’s Office today identified the victim in this incident as 20-year-old Shane Brown.

The Special Grand Jury handed up indictments against Steele, charging him with four total counts of first-degree murder between the two incidents. 

Later that evening, NOPD Special Operations Division officers located Steele at a residence in the 1800 block of Touro Street. Based on information received indicating that Steele was possibly armed, a SWAT roll was declared at about 7:17 p.m. A short time later, a total of seven subjects – including Steele – surrendered peacefully to police at the scene.  

Additionally, a search warrant was obtained for the location, during execution of which a total of seven firearms were found inside of the residence. No injuries were reported in this operation and no weapons were discharged by anyone involved in the incident. 

Steele was arrested and booked into the Orleans Parish Justice Center on four counts of first-degree murder. He was also booked with aggravated criminal damage for a shooting in the 3800 block of St. Bernard on February 27, 2022. 

Investigators are working with the District Attorney’s office to determine these individuals’ possible involvement in other violent crimes. Forensic tests are pending on the confiscated firearms. 

District Attorney Jason Williams said, “Now, that the courts have resumed jury trials, the public is now finally seeing the results of strong partnership between law enforcement and prosecutors to build strong cases based in evidence to secure justice for victims and the community. Since we have returned to court, the DA’s Office has secured convictions in every single case that has gone to trial. We have secured guilty pleas in over 200 cases since the start of the year and we have secured guilty pleas in over 1700 cases across 3500 charges last year. Since April 2021, we have been able to accept 62% of felony cases. In each of those instances, it would not have been possible without the hard work of the officers, detectives and investigators that work for the NOPD, and other law enforcement, providing our office with the right information and evidence to move forward in cases. This strong, necessary partnership is the reason we are standing here today announcing the indictment and arrest of one of the most violent criminals in New Orleans – Tyrone Steele. Through this indictment and arrest, I hope that the people of New Orleans understand that the criminal legal system hears you and we are surging back against crime with everything we have. I am grateful for hard, smart work of the DA’s Office, NOPD, ATF and FBI on this case; we have been able to get a dangerous criminal off the street.” 

NOPD Superintendent Shaun Ferguson said: “The indictment and arrest or Tyrone Steele is another excellent example of how the NOPD, the Orleans Parish District Attorney’s Office, and our state and federal partners are working in tight coordination through our enhanced VCAIT initiative to help make this city a safer place to live and visit. The hard-working men and women of our department but a strong case together and the District Attorney wasted no time indicting a very dangerous individual based on evidence gathered through their efforts. We look forward to more success through this ongoing collaborative effort.” 

Anyone with additional information that can assist in the investigations into either of the homicide incidents is asked to call NOPD Homicide Unit detectives at 504-658-5300.