NEW ORLEANS — Uptown residents near Evans Playground are rattled. Mordi Potash said his wife heard the gunfire Monday evening.
“The number of violent incidents in this park speaks volumes," Potash said.
The latest incident left a 25-year-old man injured and a 15-year-old dead, according to New Orleans Police. It happened in the 2100 Block of Soniat Street near Evans Playground. Police said the teen was not the intended target.
“This 15-year-old was just trying to do what the park is supposed to be for and paid for it with his life," Potash said. “What’s not clear is was it stray fire, was it a ricochet?”
Members of the Sophie B. Wright football team were practicing in the park around the time of the shooting, neighbors said. There's now a memorial inside the park's gates to remember the teen. He was living in a foster home, according to sources. WWL Louisiana has chosen not to identify him until we know his family has been notified.
The principal of Sophie B. Wright said the student was doing extremely well. He was the MVP of the baseball team and just started playing football, according to the administrator. As the school community grapples with the loss, the neighborhood wants to make sure it never happens again.
Potash said on Monday he contacted the nearby Mint Modern Vietnamese restaurant and Councilmember Lesli Harris. Employee at Mint, Joseph Dupas, confirmed the neighbors are meeting at the restaurant Sunday, Aug. 11 at 5PM to discuss ways to increase safety.
“The culture. The culture of violence has to change," Dupas said.
Already, the neighbors have created a list of ways to increase safety.
“More presence of police officers. More lighting," Dupas said.
Meanwhile, Potash is calling for crime cameras near the park.
“I think even with something so incredibly tragic, if there isn’t relentless push from the neighborhood, things just seem to get promised and not delivered," Potash said.
In a statement to WWL Louisiana, Cm. Lesli Harris said:
“The tragic shooting and death that occurred at Evans Playground was a senseless act of violence. The murder of any person, especially someone so young, has a ripple effect of trauma in our community. I’ve repeatedly requested the installation of crime cameras and increased patrols in the area.”
If you have any information that could help investigators with this case, you're asked to contact CrimeStoppers.