An assistant prosecutor wrongly decided to drop prosecution of more than a dozen illegal gun possession cases arising from Mardi Gras season arrests in exchange for the suspects' agreeing to forfeit their weapons, New Orleans District Attorney Jason Williams said Thursday.
Williams' statement was issued about the same time New Orleans Police Superintendent Michelle Woodfork told reporters her cousin was shot to death Tuesday night outside a neighborhood bar, a victim of sporadic, deadly gun violence that marred a largely peaceful weekend of Mardi Gras celebrations.
