New Orleans Man Guilty of Shooting at Federal Employee and Firearm Charges

NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA - GILBERT DARBY ("DARBY"), age 49, of New Orleans, pled guilty on October 28, 2026, before United States District Judge Lance M. Africk to Counts One, Two, and Three of a three-count indictment charging him with assaulting a federal employee, and with violations of the Gun Control Act, announced United States Attorney David I. Courcelle.

DARBY pled guilty to Count 1, assaulting a federal employee with a deadly weapon, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 111(a)(1) and 111(b). DARBY also pled guilty to Count 2, discharging a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 924(c)(1)(A)(iii). In Count 3, DARBY pled guilty to possessing ammunition as a convicted felon, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 922(g)(1) and 924(a)(8).

According to court documents, on January 12, 2026, a United States Postal Service letter carrier was delivering a package to DARBY's residence on Laharpe Street in New Orleans when DARBY confronted him. The carrier identified himself as a postal employee and returned to his USPS vehicle. DARBY went inside, came back out with a handgun, and fired two rounds toward the carrier, who was not struck. Video recovered from a home camera system captured the shooting. DARBY has a prior felony conviction and was prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition.

As to the assault charge in Count 1, DARBY faces up to 20 years in prison, up to a $250,000 fine, and up to three years of supervised release. As to the charge of discharging a firearm during a crime of violence in Count 2, DARBY faces a mandatory minimum sentence of ten years up to life imprisonment, which must run consecutively to any other sentence, up to a $250,000 fine, and up to five years of supervised release. As to the felon-in-possession charge in Count 3, DARBY faces up to 15 years in prison, up to a $250,000 fine, and up to three years of supervised release. Each count also carries a mandatory special assessment fee of $100.

Sentencing is set for February 17, 2027, before United States District Judge Lance M. Africk.

U.S. Attorney Courcelle praised the work of the United States Postal Inspection Service, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the New Orleans Police Department. Assistant United States Attorney's Paul J. Hubbell, IV and Briana Williams, of the Narcotics Unit are in charge of the prosecution.

Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) is the Department of Justice's nationwide initiative that brings federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement, prosecutors, and other public safety partners together to coordinate efforts to combat violent crime and make communities safe. Coordinated by U.S. Attorneys' offices in each of the 94 federal districts, PSN is tailored to particular communities to strategically address specific violent crime and public safety challenges. As a key component of Operation Take Back America, PSN serves a central role in the Department's commitment to make our country safe. PSN emphasizes three core principles: rapid federal response to violent crime and criminal offenders; strong, strategic partnerships among law enforcement at all levels; and accountability and deterrence through the prosecution of the most serious, readily provable offenses and other strategies. These efforts complement and strengthen President Trump's Homeland Security Task Forces, ensuring a comprehensive federal response to the most pressing public safety issues facing communities.

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