An 18-year-old was shot to death Wednesday morning in Central City, the New Orleans Police Department reported. Media reports say his family witnessed the fatal shooting.
The New Orleans Police Department’s Homicide Section is investigating a shooting that left a male teenager dead. The offense occurred shortly after 11:30 a.m., at the intersection of Rev. John Raphael Jr Way and Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard.
According to investigators, Sixth District officers responding to a call of a shooting found the victim inside a vehicle suffering from an apparent gunshot wound. Emergency medical technicians transported the victim to a local hospital, where he died.
The Coroner’s Office identified the victim as Rickey Smith, 18.
Smith was in the car with his mother and siblings, WWL-TV reported. Police said a gunman drove by and began shooting at the car, riddling it with bullets and striking the teen inside.
The shooting took place as the City Council was holding a special meeting to address the escalating crime in the city.
Anyone with information about this incident is urged to contact the NOPD Homicide Division at 504-658-5300 or Crimestoppers at 504-822-1111.
Editor’s note: This report was updated Jan. 19 with additional information from the NOPD and WWL-TV. It was updated again on Jan. 20 with the victim’s name and correct age. Earlier reports from the NOPD said he was 19, not 18.
