Man arrested after bringing gun to pride parade

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Man arrested with 2 guns leaves some New Orleans pride attendees uneasy

By Marie Simoneaux, June 8, 2019 at 9:55 PM CDT - Updated June 9 at 9:20 PM

NEW ORLEANS, La. (WVUE) - A 25-year-old man is accused of bringing a gun to the New Orleans Pride parade Saturday evening (June 8), according to New Orleans police.

NOPD spokesman Aaron Looney said Cody Jackson was arrested on one count of illegal possession of weapons at a demonstration after he was seen with a gun within 1,000 feet of the parade route. No shots were fired and no threats were made, Looney said.

Jackson was detained and arrested by an NOPD bicycle unit [IPMBA member Brooke Duncan and partner Trevor Abney] around 7 p.m. near the intersection of Barracks and Royal streets. Nobody was injured.

According to Looney, Jackson was in possession of two firearms -- a rifle and a handgun. No additional information was immediately available.

As of 10 p.m., Jackson’s photo was not available and his bond and attorney information was not known.

The arrest did not interfere with the parade.

Man arrested with rifle at Pride parade pleads not guilty to breaking city ordinance

A legal analyst says the man doesn't seem to have broken state law, but may have violated a New Orleans City ordinance involving guns being too close to a parade.

Author: Meg Farris / Eyewitness News, June 11, 2019

On a weekend full of festivals, a man showed up with an assault rifle.

He was out of jail on bond Monday after an arrest at the New Orleans LGBTQ Pride parade, but that wasn't the first time he reportedly rattled the nerves of people trying to enjoy themselves.

"He had an AR-15 and a large glock on his hip, and after a second I realized it was a real gun," said Brett Oncale.

When Cody Jackson, 25, showed up in the French Quarter this weekend, Oncale said he paid attention.

"The people who realize they were guns were quite uncomfortable, but many people either thought they were prop guns or play guns. They weren't even ready to embrace the fact that these were real weapons at the World Naked Bike Ride," said Oncale.

Later, police say Jackson showed up at the Pride Parade and was arrested and charged with a misdemeanor for carrying weapons within 1,000 feet of a parade.

In Orleans Municipal Court on Monday, the judge entered a plea of not guilty on his behalf and told Jackson he wanted him to get a public defender and return to court at a later date.

Eyewitness News caught up with Jackson afterwards. When asked what happened, he replied "No comment ma'am." When asked what happens next, he answered, "It will all be determined in court."

He did not have an attorney and said he preferred not to comment on why.

Louisiana is an open carry state. In a nutshell, anyone 17 or older can carry a weapon openly, but there are conditions. There are some places you cannot carry, such as schools, hospitals, and places that serve alcohol.

And of course, unless you have a permit to carry a concealed weapon, that gun must be visible.

"If he's walking down the street with a rifle, it's on his person, but it's not concealed. If he's walking down the street with a holstered weapon, it's not concealed because you can see the weapon and it is on his person," said WWL-TV News Legal Analyst Chick Foret about why Jackson was not breaking state law.

But Foret he explained that Jackson broke the city ordinance of getting within 1,000 feet of a parade or demonstration with guns.

In May, he was stopped by Jefferson Parish deputies two times for openly carrying guns in Marrero, but he was released.

A security person at the parade said the weapons were not loaded. New Orleans Police say no shots were fired, and no threats of a shooting were made.