NEW ORLEANS — A GoFundMe campaign has started for the family of a 12-year-old who died after workers found him in New Orleans East on Monday.
Around 10 a.m. on Monday, work crews in the 14000 block of Michoud Boulevard found the body of 12-year-old Derrick Cash in the street.
“As I got closer, I noticed it was a person that was gasping for air,” said Reg Boulie, one of the workers that found the youth.
Cash died before paramedics arrived.
The New Orleans Police Department has shared few details about the shooting, other than that a male was found lying on the ground near a vehicle with multiple gunshot wounds. The NOPD did not share any details about a motive or possible suspects.
Boulie says he grew up in the area and he's never seen New Orleans East as bad as it is right now. He says he wants better for his community and more specifically its youth.
"The killing needs to stop," Boulie says. "We need to do better. It's getting out of hand. It makes people not want to be here anymore."
A GoFundMe campaign has started to support the child’s family through the “unbearable loss.”
“Derrick Cash was a source of joy and energy, deeply loved by his family and friends,” the campaign says. As of Wednesday morning, more than $2,300 had been raised through donations.
NOPD homicide detective Walter Edmond is in charge of the investigation and can be reached at 504-658-5300. Anyone with information can also call Crimestoppers of Greater New Orleans at 504-822-1111 and toll-free at 1-877-903-7867.
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