Roland J. Bourgeois Jr., Racially Motivated Shooting, Louisiana 2005

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Table of Contents

New Orleans Man Convicted of Hate Crime

Roland J. Bourgeois Jr., a 55-year-old resident of New Orleans, Louisiana, has been convicted of a hate crime after shooting three young black men attempting to flee the city after Hurricane Katrina.

According to the FBI, on September 1, 2005, Bourgeois and other white men from the Algiers Point neighborhood agreed to use force to keep African Americans out of their neighborhood. They transported fallen trees to block streets near their homes and began armed patrols in the area.

The three men, D.H., M.A., and C.C., attempted to walk to the Algiers Point evacuation point, but were met with a barricade constructed by Bourgeois and others. When they tried to cross the barricade, Bourgeois opened fire with a shotgun, injuring all three men. After they fled, Bourgeois boasted that he had ‘hit one’ and promised to ‘kill that [racial slur] if the man survived.’

Bourgeois was declared incompetent to stand trial on multiple occasions from 2010 to 2018. He was finally declared competent in 2018 and pleaded guilty in October of that year.

The FBI investigated the case, and it was prosecuted by Special Counsel Jared Fishman and Litigation Attorney Mary J. Hahn of the Civil Rights Division.

Bourgeois was sentenced to 10 years in prison, followed by 3 years of supervised release for his hate crime conviction. The case serves as a reminder that the FBI is committed to defending the Constitution and civil rights, and that violence motivated by hate will not be tolerated.

The conviction brings a measure of justice to the victims of this racial hate crime, which was committed over 13 years ago. It also sends a clear message to those who use violence and fear to try to divide our communities that the Department of Justice will pursue those responsible to the fullest extent of the law.