NEW ORLEANS — A John Ehret High School student was killed while walking to a bus stop in Marrero on Monday morning.
The victim has been identified as Sixteen-year-old Ahmad Howard, according to our partners at the Times-Picayune | New Orleans Advocate.
Jefferson Parish Sheriff Joseph Lopinto said the teenager was fatally shot around 7:30 a.m. in the 1800 block of Betty Street. When they arrived, deputies found the teen suffering from at least one gunshot wound. He was later pronounced dead at the scene.
“I spoke with relatives and every indication from the people I’ve talked to was that this was a very good kid,” Lopinto said in a Monday news conference after the shooting. “We’re not getting any indication from speaking with community or family that he was a troubled kid.”
Witnesses were able to give a description of the suspected shooters, and deputies began chasing three people running along a nearby canal. Lopinto said those individuals got into a car and drove away. Other deputies spotted the car and stopped it on Lapalco Boulevard.
"There is a long rifle in that vehicle matching the description of at least one of the guns that were used on scene," Lopinto said.
Lopinto said that four people - three males and one female - were detained, but the sheriff stopped short of saying that they were arrested. Lopinto did not share the ages of the detained individuals.
The Times-Picayune | New Orleans Advocate spoke with a woman near the shooting scene who identified herself as a relative to the slain teen.
“He was on his way to school,” the woman told the newspaper. “He was so quiet. You barely even knew he was there.”
Jefferson Parish Schools Superintendent Dr. James Gray said that about 15 people in three crisis teams have been sent to the school’s campus to help students after the shooting.
“We want to assure the family and parents, our hearts are going out to them,” Gray said.
Anyone with information about the shooting is asked to call the JPSO homicide section at 504-364-5300 or Crimestoppers of Greater New Orleans at 504-822-1111.
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