Confounded by killings, tension at GOP’s top and the 4-9 Saints’ playoff ‘prospects’

By DREW BROACH | Deputy metro editor​ ​ ​

MURDER BY THE NUMBERS: The typical murder victim in New Orleans is now a 35-year-old Black man who argues with a younger acquaintance and gets shot with a 9 mm or .40-caliber pistol. Some of the victims, and some of the perpetrators, too, have mental health issues. Most of the 251 killings so far in 2022 remain unsolved, and will likely give New Orleans, by year’s end, the highest murder rate in the United States.

TENSE AT THE TOP: Two of the most prominent Republicans in Louisiana are at odds, and the divide between them will no doubt deepen if one decides next month to run against the other for governor.

PLAYOFFS? PLAYOFFS?!? Oh, sure, the 4-9 New Orleans Saints could still make the playoffs. Here’s how it could happen, and here’s why you shouldn’t bet the farm on it.

Thanks for starting your Sunday with Morning Headlines. Catch the latest news all day on NOLA.com.

D.B.