Update 12/3/18 – Collins was indicted on Nov. 29 on second-degree murder and obstruction of justice in connection with Dunkley’s death. His bond was also increased to $400,000 by ad hoc criminal district judge Dennis Waldron after the indictment was read, according to a source.
Assistant district attorney Abigail MacDonald presented the case to the grand jury, while Collins was represented by private attorney Joseph Rome during his initial appearance.
Update 5/30/18 – Collins was booked into the Orleans Justice Center on May 24 on a second-degree murder charge in connection with Dunkley’s death. The suspect also received a simple battery charge from the separate 2011 case. Bond was set at $350,000, according to the source.
A witness reported seeing a U-Haul truck leaving the scene after hearing gunshots. Video footage recorded at the property shows a pickup truck and a U-Haul enter through the main gate. Dunkley exited the U-Haul, while three other men got out of the pickup. All four unloaded furniture from the rental truck, according to the arrest warrant.
At one point, Dunkley and one of the men walked behind the U-Haul, which obscured the camera’s view. The other man appears back on camera a short while later “tucking what appears to be an object into his waistband,” before driving away in the pickup truck. The two other men left the property in the U-Haul, the warrant states.
When police released a photo of one of the suspects and asked the public’s help in identifying him, Collins called detectives and identified himself as the man captured in the video shot, the source reported. Collins told police he was in the area around the time Dunkley was killed but didn’t have any knowledge of the crime.
Investigators determined Collins matches the man in the photo and obtained a warrant for his arrest on May 3. He was arrested on May 8 and was held in St. Charles Parish until being transferred last Thursday.
No pending court dates were reported.
5/10/18 – New Orleans police have arrested David Collins, 37, in connection with the murder of Kevin Dunkley, the 38-year-old shooting victim found dead in a drive aisle at the CubeSmart self-storage facility on Behrman Highway. Collins, who was arrested on May 8, has a history of violence, according to the source.
The suspect had an outstanding warrant for his arrest stemming from a simple battery charge related to a May 2011 incident. He pleaded guilty to aggravated assault in a separate case in February 2011. Police indicated Collins would be booked on the outstanding battery charge as well as homicide charges related to the Dunkley murder, the source reported.
No motive or details on why the shooting may have occurred were reported. It’s also not clear what led police to arrest Collins as a suspect.
4/20/18 – A man was discovered shot to death Wednesday at a CubeSmart self-storage facility in Algiers, La. Police were called to the property at 3901 Behrman Highway about 9:18 p.m. The man, who was pronounced dead at the scene, had been shot in the chest, according to the source.
He was found lying in the area between two rows of storage units, said Aaron Looney, a spokesperson for the New Orleans Police Department, which is investigating the shooting. A woman arrived at the storage facility around 10:40 p.m. She opened the door to the facility office and was followed inside by officers, the source reported. It isn’t clear who the woman was or if she was detained by police.
Police have yet to release the man’s name or more information about the crime. Anyone with information can call Crimestoppers at 877.903.STOP.
CubeSmart is a self-storage real estate investment trust that owns or manages 987 self-storage facilities across the United States. Its operating portfolio comprises more than 60.5 million square feet.
Source:
The Times-Picayune, Man Booked on Murder Charge in Connection With Algiers Storage Center Shooting
The Times-Picayune, Man Arrested in April Fatal Shooting at Algiers Storage Facility: NOPD
The Times-Picayune, Man Found Shot to Death at Algiers Self-Storage: NOPD
