March 11, 2021 – 1:15 p.m
Three brothers in New Orleans were killed in two shootings seven days apart – and a $10,000 reward is now being offered for information leading to a break in the slayings.
Bryan Veal, 26, was gunned down on Feb. 13 at an intersection in New Orleans’ Central City section, police and his distraught relatives have said. Just seven days later, Bryan’s brothers, 21-year-old Bradley Veal and 30-year-old Brandon Veal were shot less than a half-mile away as they returned from getting food.
Investigators believe three gunmen on Feb. 20 armed with varying caliber weapons opened fire on the pair before fleeing in a vehicle, NOLA.com reported Tuesday.
An anonymous donor increased the reward to $10,000 for information leading to an arrest and indictment in the three slayings, in which police have not released a suspected motive, the outlet reported.
Bryan’s mother was planning his funeral when her two other sons were killed, leaving her family terrified and desperately searching for answers, WGNO reported.
Relatives are so frightened by the possibility of more violence that they declined to be identified by the station.
“We are suffering right now a huge loss,” one family member said. “It’s the greatest void you could ever imagine … These kids were just ripped from us all at once.”
The unidentified relative said the brothers had no prior criminal histories and were rarely spotted apart.
“If you saw one, you’d see all three of them,” the relative continued. “They were inseparable and did just about everything together.”
A doorbell camera caught the shooting that killed Bradley and Brandon as they were ambushed with up to 40 rounds, including 12 that went into a nearby home, WGNO reported.
“I hope they catch whoever did this and shot those three brothers in cold blood,” resident Vickie Boothe said. “No parent should ever have to bury a child. To bury all three of your children in a week of each has to be just devastating.”
The brothers were later laid to rest during a private service that had heightened security, with those in attendance told to keep quiet about the location to protect the mourners.
Their mother was reportedly too grief-stricken to attend.
“We want closure,” the grieving relative told WGNO. “We want closure for this.”
