NEW ORLEANS — A New Orleans store that has been the site of armed protests over a fatal shooting has been fined $20,000 after state officials noted an unlicensed security guard carrying an assault rifle.
The Times-Picayune ‘ The New Orleans Advocate reports the executive director of the Louisiana State Board of Private Security Examiners, Fabian Blache III, served the cease and desist order personally on Saturday.
Hank’s Seafood & Supermarket became the target of protests earlier this month by the New Black Panther Party. The group is demanding video from Oct. 30, when 24-year-old Corey Garrison was shot in the store’s parking lot by a manager.
The New Orleans Police Department pronounced the shooting a “justifiable homicide” the next day, saying Garrison pulled a gun first. His family disputes that, saying Garrison – who was Black – had a gun in his waistband but never removed it.
The store was fined $5,000 a day for four days for hiring Michael Foster, who didn’t possess a valid license.
Panther members have walked along the sidewalk in the front of the store, openly and legally armed, since the protests began. They’re urging a boycott of the store and handing out flyers.
Neighbors, though, have been worried. In addition to the protesters, Foster and multiple employees of the store have been outside at times with guns. State Rep. Candace Newell, a New Orleans Democrat, said she got complaints and contacted the security guard board.
Blache said a photo showed Foster was violating board policies. Any guard who carries an assault rifle must request special permission and justify its use. Blache said he later discovered Foster wasn’t even licensed.
Hank’s store manager told Blache that Foster was no longer working there and is no longer allowed on the shop’s property.
In 2018, Foster fired at least nine shots in the parking lot of a New Orleans apartment complex.
A witness there heard Foster talk of “killing Black people” and some residents said they saw the weapon’s red target scope scan the building. Earlier that day, witnesses saw Foster argue with a group of Black motorcyclists. Foster pleaded guilty in April to domestic criminal damage of property and the illegal carrying of a weapon. He was ordered to pay $1,000 in restitution and was prohibited from buying or possessing a firearm during a one-day probationary period.
Blache said Foster couldn’t qualify to be licensed because he doesn’t meet the legal requirement to be of “good character.”
The store could appeal, but the fine was assessed for only four days, although photos from customers posted on the store’s social media accounts suggest Foster may have worked there as early as December.
Blache said he’s seeking records regarding the length of Foster’s employment from Hank’s.
