The NOPD has arrested a 15-year-old male in the investigation of a homicide on April 19 at Washington Avenue and LaSalle Street, near the A.L. Davis playground that claimed the life of a 14-year-old boy.
At about 7:35 p.m. on April 19, NOPD Sixth District officers responded to the location and found a 14-year-old juvenile teen male having sustained a gunshot wound. The victim, Joel Nichols, was transported to a local hospital. On April 20, Joel died from his injuries.
Sixth District detectives positively identified the 15-year-old juvenile as a suspect and obtained an arrest warrant on a charge of second-degree murder. Additionally, the juvenile was found to have active arrest warrants out of the Seventh District.
At about 5:23 p.m. on May 12, NOPD Sixth District officers on proactive patrol at the intersection of Jackson Avenue and Rev. John Raphael Jr. Way conducted a traffic stop on a vehicle. During the stop, officers positively identified one of the passengers in the vehicle as the wanted juvenile and arrested the suspect.
The juvenile suspect was booked into the Juvenile Justice Center for second-degree murder, armed robbery with a firearm, illegal use of a firearm and two counts of theft of a motor vehicle. As the suspect is a juvenile, his identity is not provided and a photo is not available.
Anyone with additional information on this incident is asked to call NOPD Homicide Unit detectives at 504-658-5300.
